Bad Luck Boeing...



Boeing has been on a bit of a bad luck run lately.  After winning South Korea's F-XIII competition by default, its F-15SE Silent Eagle was unceremoniously booted out of the running for not being stealthy enough.

It gets worse.

After word got out that the USN might be ordering a 36 more Super Hornets, the Pentagon quickly kiboshed the rumor.  Now it looks like Boeing will have to shut down production of F-18E/F if it doesn't find orders soon.

Things don't look promising.  The Super Hornet is being pushed as a likely alternative to the F-35 for Canada's next fighter, but that decision looks like it going to be put off until 2015, at the earliest.  That may be too late to keep the Rhino assembly line open.  It currently only has enough orders to stay open until 2016.

What else is there?

Australia is a small victory, but they are only ordering few dozen Super Hornets to tide them over until the F-35 is ready.



There's Brazil, but they seem to be in an indefinite holding pattern.  Even then, the Super Hornet's chances have been severely hurt by NSA spying on that country, souring Brazil/USA relations.  Brazil's other two choices, the Gripen and the Rafale, don't come with the political baggage.

Other than that...  There's not a whole lot going on for Boeing's fighters.  The Silent Eagle doesn't seem to be making much of an impact, with preference given to either the F-35 or the Typhoon.  The Super Hornet's only real hope is for the F-35C to be a complete disaster.  Until then, the JSF program will likely absorb all the funding needed to upgrade the Super Hornet to make it truly competitive.


It's too bad.  The Super Hornet has proven itself to be a dependable work horse, and the F-15 is still one of the top jets in the skies today.  To see them both fly off into the sunset through sheer bad luck is a shame.

Hopefully, this doesn't dissuade Boeing from the fighter business entirely.  Boeing has plenty of talent, and the global indecision shows us that there are plenty of countries unable to find a jet fighter that is "just right" for them.

Comments

  1. Doug AllenNovember 19, 2013 at 7:05 PM

    Yeah, it seems that F35 is the only fighter which hasn't difficulties to win export orders, despite the technical questions und US uncertainties you regularly report...

    Boeing remains a BIG player : Saudi Arabia deal in 2011 was just huge and additionnal Australian Super Hornet, in Growler configuration, bring a high added-value. But without a new fighter, I don't see how Boeing can remain on this market in the long run. Even in the best circumstances, F15 and F/A18 production will not go long after 2020...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Doug AllenNovember 19, 2013 at 8:42 PM

    I understand the production line for the F16 is winding down as well. This makes potential export sales interesting after 2017/2018. This should position the Euro canards better for lower cost competitions (especially the Gripen). When the teen series leaves the market place there will be a gap for countries that can't afford the F-35.......

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE REAL REASON THE GRIPEN LOST...

Image
  For those of you wondering how Saab lost the FFCP competition, new information has come to light... According inside sources, the initial scoring of the two fighters was incredibly close.  The F-35 did indeed win the "Capability" category (worth up to 60%) while the Gripen E ended up being ahead on both price (worth 20%) and industrial offsets (worth the remaining 20%).   According to my source April Furst, who is currently serving an internship in the House of Commons.  The ultimate decision was made rather hastily while the final scores were being tallied up.   "Due to COVID restrictions and renovations, the FFCP committee were forced to convene in a remote office located in the basement of the Parliament building.  You could tell it wasn't used very often.  Lots of cobwebs, and the whole place smelled musty and moldy.   "The committee members were doing their thing, going down each individual line of the respective offers.  It was actually pretty close, by
Read more

FINAL THOUGHTS

Image
  So…. Now what? The process is still far from over but what is left is mostly mundane and bureaucratic.  Stuff like finalizing costs, delivery dates, etc. Hopefully, Canada can now focus it procurement efforts on  revitalizing the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces.  With fighters and frigates out of the way; it’s high time we look into replacing our submarines, MRTTs, and other.  Recent lessons from the war in Ukraine has also made it clear that UCAVs are the future of warfare.  Canada best catch up. Was all this for nothing?  No.  I do not believe so.  Even though Canada is still choosing the F-35, it is doing so in a much more rational way.  We have taken the time to evaluate our needs.  Taken a clear look at the options.  We have arrived at a decision removed from political whim.  Ultimately, Canada is getting a lot more aircraft than initially planned.  We are also getting later build F-35s.  Now, more of the kinks are out.  These newer aircraft should be both more reliable and mo
Read more

Fighter Jet Fight Club: Gripen NG vs. Super Hornet!

Image
I will be honest...  I have been dreading this installment of Fighter Jet Fight Club.  I tend to root for the underdog in any competition, but what happens when underdogs have to compete against each other?  Both of these aircraft have a 0-2 record for FJFC, yet both are clearly crowd favorites in the comment section. Our contestants today are two of the biggest value propositions in the fighter world today.  Both are "modernized" versions of aircraft that have been flying since the 80s.  Neither make promises of being the most dominant force in the skies, but they do promise a "90%" solution at "50%" of the cost.  Most importantly, both aircraft are "tried and true" designs that have provided years of faithful service.  Despite this, they are often overlooked in favor of newer, flashier aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II. Which aircraft will see redemption here today? Just remember the rules . Air-to-Ground: Infiltration/Pe
Read more