Boeing might have gotten "tailhooked" by the F-35C



Sometimes two news stories come out in such close proximity that the correlation is hard to ignore.

There doesn't appear to be any money earmarked for new F/A-18/F Super Hornet or EA-18 Growler builds in The Pentagon's 2015 fiscal budget.  Boeing is attempting a last ditch effort to appeal to Congress, but that it may prove a hard sell considering the US Navy almost lost an aircraft carrier due to budget pressures.

This could be the end for the Rhino's production run.  Boeing needs orders desperately soon in order to keep the assembly line running past its current 2016 cut-off.  There are a few nations currently kicking the tires of the Super Hornet (like Canada), but it seems unlikely that decisions will be made in time, let alone concrete orders.

Boeing's last, best hope was for the US Navy to procure more Super Hornets as a contingency against issues regarding the F-35C's tail hook problem.

Now, after a redesign, it looks like the F-35C's tail hook issue may be solved.  In recent tests, it was able to "catch the wire" 36 times out of 36 attempts.  Sea trials are scheduled for later this year.

Correlation does not prove causation, but one wonders if the Super Hornet might have gotten a stay of execution if the F-35C's tests went differently.  This is definitely great news for the JSF program however.



Comments

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