Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Now they're saying the F-35 is stealthier than the F-22...


Just when you thought you heard it all, the F-35 fanboys always seem to come up with something new.   The latest?   The F-35 is stealthier than the F-22.

Yeah.  That's right.  Supposedly Bogdan said that the F-35 has a lower RCS than the F-22.  I had never heard that claim before so I Googled it.  This is what I found from Aviation Week...
The F-35′s cross section is much smaller than the F-22′s. “The F-35 doesn’t have the altitude, doesn’t have the speed [of the F-22], but it can beat the F-22 in stealth.”
Bogdan didn't spout that obvious lie.  It was Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Hostage.   I tried to find any instance where that statement was repeated by the then ACC Chief.  He didn't.  It was a one-off.

I checked to see what was going on in the world of the F-35, US Air Power and DoD budgeting.  The controversy sweeping the defense blogosphere?  The USN seeking more Growlers.  The F-35 program was on a whirlwind tour to kill any future procurement of the Growler Electronic Attack airplane.

Long story short?  Bogdan, the USAF & US Marines, the Program Office and Lockheed Martin will say and do anything to get this plane across the finish line.

My question is this.  How much more time are you willing to give a program that continues to fail?  Do you realize that if the F-35 was delivered on time and it was in service that we'd be working on its replacement NOW (not to mention that the USMC/US ARMY/US NAVY/USAF, allies wouldn't all be facing procurement trainwrecks which required shelving personnel with hardwon combat experience and casing the colors on Infantry, Artillery, Tank, Amphib and Engineer Battalions)!  This airplane isn't only endangering current budgets but is affecting future development.  The problem becomes even more acute when you consider the advancements being made by other countries.  If the F-35 had been on time the J-20 and PAK-FA would be a generation behind it while we would maintain our technological lead because our 6th gen would be getting ready for production.
The undeniable fact is stark.  By allowing the F-35 to continue in development for so long has practically guaranteed that we will be at best on par with future threats...not ahead of them.


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