The F-35... Good news/Bad news?

The F-35.  Still as controversial as ever.


I've avoided mentioning the F-35 for a while.

I've been critical of it in the past, both on the basis of what I believe is a flawed concept and execution, as well as it's suitability for Canada.  I've tried to take a step back and reevaluate the F-35, but so far I'm far from convinced.

GOOD NEWS:



BAD NEWS:

So, basically, the F-35 is still as controversial as ever.

The crux of the F-35's woes at this time is concurrency.  Costs can't come down considerably until production increases, but it's hard to justify pumping out jets that will need to be retrofitted and fixed at a later date, adding to the cost.

So what happens now?  Will the focus shift to getting the F-35 up and ready in order to secure future orders?  Will production be cut, possibly causing the "death spiral"?  Will the JSF move on to the next step of becoming either an operational fighter or will it become a footnote in aviation history?

Comments

  1. Doug AllenAugust 2, 2013 at 3:20 PM

    Its interesting that the F-35 may be the first to be eliminated from Koreas F-X competition due to cost. I admire the Koreans, holding to the aircraft numbers (60). The Dutch, Denmark, and possibly Canada are holding to the budgeted monetary numbers, while the number of aircraft to be acquired seems to vary depending on the budget.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Doug AllenAugust 3, 2013 at 2:08 PM

    Well, I see a clear usage for the F-35, but not as any nation’s single jetfighter,
    but as a highly specialized vehicle for package deliveries in bad neighborhoods.

    For the first time, (as far as I know) the US has now actually started to discuss a
    possible termination of the F-35. I think this is a beginning to make the idea slowly
    sink in in everybody’s mind; next step will be severe cuts in the numbers.

    http://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-considers-cancelling-f-35-program-48653/

    ReplyDelete

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