Boy, some of the political hacks in the DoD are some sure fire idiots. While the silly bastard in Washington is making headlines for slamming the F-35 acquisition plan, others are rapidly taking his words and using them to help bolster their arguments.
Check this out from the Australian...
The complaints by Air Power Australia, longtime critics of the $16 billion JSF acquisition, were made last night before a public hearing of parliament's defence sub-committee.Now I know some will say...ah its just APA chill out.
Latest-generation Russian fighters such as the Sukhoi T-50 would easily defeat the F-35 in air-to-air combat, Air Power's Peter Goon said, referring to recent modelling tests by his organisation.
"The aircraft we are planning to buy is carrying over 2000 pounds (900kg) of dead weight," Mr Goon said, referring to the JSF's big jet engines.
New Russian and Chinese air defence radars would also have little trouble detecting the JSF, a craft touted for its stealth qualities, he added.
The RAAF says it wants 100 US-designed JSFs to replace the decommisioned F-111 strike aircraft, with the first squadron supposed to be operating by 2018.But the program has been mired in cost overruns and delays.
Last month US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the purchase of US JSFs to be delayed to allow Lockheed-Martin time to resolve production and technical shortcomings.
The company is contracted to deliver the first two training aircraft in 2014 with another 12 scheduled for 2015-17.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said he is now considering an option to order additional F/A-18F Super Hornets to fill any capability gap created by further JSF production delays.
That wouldn't quite be wise in my opinion. The critics of this program have a way of 'finding' each other. And while they all have different motives for canceling the program, they're united in the desire to CANCEL the program.
Meanwhile, supporters have allies that have a habit of sticking their feet --- yeah feet as in both of them --- inside their oversized mouths. Lockheed Martin was late to the table when it came to realizing that this is a public relations war as well as a fighter program.
Time for the DoD to wake up to that fact too.
Let them mouth off as they are doing, as you say Sol. They are doing their own cause more harm than good.
ReplyDelete5 Senators already got up and walked out on them, during the middle of their "presentation" and the Senate has already previously dismissed the exact same arguments they've made time and time again.
So I argue as do you. Let the whole world see what a bunch of fruitcakes they really are and everyone else will move along and get on with their lives.
The RAAF and JSF included, just as they have done already with Super Hornet...
The funniest part is these idiots somehow think a non-stealth aircraft would do better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to this one. I believe APA, Copp and Goon are joining a long line of 'experts' without the right kind of 'expertise'. I anticipate writing something about them similar to my observations on Tsipis, Amlie, and Foa: http://elementsofpower.blogspot.com/2009/07/b-2s-first-flight-another-aerospace.html
ReplyDeleteFrankly it's amazing anyone pays attention to APA. That aside there are significant issues for Oz in that delays in the F-35 might force them into buying more F/A-18E/F's.
ReplyDeleteThe whole critics vs supporters of F-35 seems to often masks the real problems within the program. Consider someone calling the program "acquisition malpractice" being dismissed as a "critic" when in fact the head of DOD procurement just said that.