F-35 Lightning II: News thread

JohninMK wrote:Looks like a lucky escape for Turkey.

There are actually countries still selecting this fighter. I understand that some big money was spent on the program. It didn't work out. It costs too much per flight hour. But everyone should just buy some of them just to finish out the program. Buying some of them to be a good ally and actually selecting it is two different things.

The Millennium 7 guy is suggesting that the US airforce should just import a 4+++ fighter from Europe.

They could buy the MiG-35 but... Russia doesn´t produce anything!

Backman wrote:The Millennium 7 guy is suggesting that the US airforce should just import a 4+++ fighter from Europe.

The guy is Italian, probably he would like the Eurofighter being used by USAF... but it has nothing to do with what USAF needs and it is as expensive as the F-35

Hole wrote:They could buy the MiG-35 but... Russia doesn´t produce anything!

They should ask Rostec about the LFI/LMFS

Now seriously, it seems the General that made the statements has clarified recently that there is no doubt and no threat to the F-35 etc etc... we will see

More about the clusterfvck program commonly know as JSF. It is easy to criticise, but the damning part are the statements of the US politicians quoted:

The US Congress called the F-35 fighter program a "black hole"

The US Congress made another criticism of the fifth generation F-35 fighters. The largest portion of criticism of the very program for the creation of these combat aircraft came from the chairman of the US Armed Forces Committee of the House of Representatives, Adam Smith.

From a statement by a Democratic congressman:

It's time to stop pouring money into the black hole. What does the F-35 give us? Is there any way at all to cut the incredible costs of the program? And the costs of implementing and further supporting this program are enormous.

According to Smith, he is going to find out how many new generation fighters and attack aircraft would be most suitable for the United States and at the same time "did not draw additional money from the budget."

US Congressman:

If initially the aircraft was conceived as an affordable fifth generation fighter, including thanks to the expansion of the production program with the help of our foreign partners, now it turned out that everything is not so.

The American media recalled that the cost of an F-35 flight hour is 36 thousand dollars. At the same time, only 69% of the F-35s in the American fleet have achieved the ability to carry out combat operations. The rest continue to "bring to mind", spending more and more new means.

Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Armed Forces:

We have already spent a huge amount on weapons systems that either did not work at all or did not ultimately meet expectations. This is a major failure. The F-35 program needs to be thoroughly discussed.

The congressman called the situation "price pressure" from a manufacturer "realizing that he has a monopoly."

We will remind that earlier in Lockheed Martin offered the Pentagon to conclude a new contract, on the basis of which an hour of operation of the F-35 will become cheaper. Instead of 36 thousand dollars - 25 thousand. At the same time, the company claims that "no new costs will be required for this." But if expenses really are not required, then why do you need another contract?

https://en.topwar.ru/180619-v-kongresse-ssha-programmu-sozdanija-istrebitelej-f-35-nazvali-chernoj-dyroj.html

LMFS wrote:More about the clusterfvck program commonly know as JSF. It is easy to criticise, but the damning part are the statements of the US politicians quoted:

The US Congress called the F-35 fighter program a "black hole"

The US Congress made another criticism of the fifth generation F-35 fighters. The largest portion of criticism of the very program for the creation of these combat aircraft came from the chairman of the US Armed Forces Committee of the House of Representatives, Adam Smith.

From a statement by a Democratic congressman:

It's time to stop pouring money into the black hole. What does the F-35 give us? Is there any way at all to cut the incredible costs of the program? And the costs of implementing and further supporting this program are enormous.

According to Smith, he is going to find out how many new generation fighters and attack aircraft would be most suitable for the United States and at the same time "did not draw additional money from the budget."

US Congressman:

If initially the aircraft was conceived as an affordable fifth generation fighter, including thanks to the expansion of the production program with the help of our foreign partners, now it turned out that everything is not so.

The American media recalled that the cost of an F-35 flight hour is 36 thousand dollars. At the same time, only 69% of the F-35s in the American fleet have achieved the ability to carry out combat operations. The rest continue to "bring to mind", spending more and more new means.

Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Armed Forces:

We have already spent a huge amount on weapons systems that either did not work at all or did not ultimately meet expectations. This is a major failure. The F-35 program needs to be thoroughly discussed.

The congressman called the situation "price pressure" from a manufacturer "realizing that he has a monopoly."

We will remind that earlier in Lockheed Martin offered the Pentagon to conclude a new contract, on the basis of which an hour of operation of the F-35 will become cheaper. Instead of 36 thousand dollars - 25 thousand. At the same time, the company claims that "no new costs will be required for this." But if expenses really are not required, then why do you need another contract?

https://en.topwar.ru/180619-v-kongresse-ssha-programmu-sozdanija-istrebitelej-f-35-nazvali-chernoj-dyroj.html

But there's idiots (even posting on this forum) who think that the Su-57 fell off the face of the Earth.

GarryB wrote:The operational costs for Norway were quoted as 68K US per hour.... they were struggling to afford the air time for air crew and ground crew to get enough hours to remain current on the aircraft and not require retraining in the US...

Of course if the logistics is not properly optimized and you have to work with a foreign land, import pieces etc., it will be even more expensive. They had to remove ALIS because it was a disaster and this should have make things better now. But it is clear foreign suckers partners are the ones to sustain the highest effort and make the plane a little cheaper for US.

Is there a n info page out there that explains where all this money goes per flight hour ? Not just the F-35 but generally. Maybe the term "per flight hour" is misleading. How would this compare to say automotive...

I don't know much about aircraft but I do work on cars and stuff. I just don't understand where the money goes. Is there mechanical parts inside the aircraft that wear out and need replacing ? Confused.

The term used is CPFH (Cost Per Flight Hour) and it can cover all sorts of things from fuel and pieces to buildings, labour and other "shared" costs. It depends on many factors and is quite difficult to interpret, because everyone calculates it differently. We have a thread in the military topics subforum.

In the case of the F-35 I can imagine the pieces are expensive and the logistics complicated, plus maybe a lot of special tools and processes to keep the plane operational... that is what I would do if I was an unscrupulous supplier placed in a position of monopoly as LM has been

LMFS wrote:.. that is what I would do if I was an unscrupulous supplier INTENTIONALLY placed in a position of monopoly as LM has been

Sentence corrected for you

Them there politicians gotta make sure the gravy train has a long and secure life.

Are vassals given the option to use Vaseline?

New SG MOD paper:"Most importantly,any foreign operator of the F-35 JSF will undoubtedly be at the mercy of the US Government should they decide to switch off local access to the ALIS whenever they ever disagree with how the made-in-USA jets are deployed."

https://www.mindef.gov.sg/oms/safti/pointer/documents/pdf/monthlyissue/jan2021.pdf

https://twitter.com/TheDEWLine/status/1370920756440395778

magnumcromagnon wrote:Are vassals given the option to use Vaseline?

New SG MOD paper:"Most importantly,any foreign operator of the F-35 JSF will undoubtedly be at the mercy of the US Government should they decide to switch off local access to the ALIS whenever they ever disagree with how the made-in-USA jets are deployed."

https://www.mindef.gov.sg/oms/safti/pointer/documents/pdf/monthlyissue/jan2021.pdf

https://twitter.com/TheDEWLine/status/1370920756440395778

Where is all the pride of America's "allies" who submit to having a leash put around their necks?

Maybe instead of foaming at the mouth with hate for Russia, they should grow a spine.

ALIS was always the elephant in the room, radically incompatible with any thought of defence sovereignty. It is not that a "rogue" ally would be left without spares after breaking up with the US, it is that their planes would directly grounded unless the masters approve their use. The "free world" looks increasingly like a jail...

Funny comments from Rogoway confirming what we had already discussed:



Daddy's boy Israel (who doubted it) got permit to modify the plane's SW, while the serfs got the shaft, it is beyond embarrassing

If I was Israel I'd lobby and lobby hard for an entire F-35 manufacturing line situated within Israel, and then sell jail-broken F-35s all day long.

ALIS doesn't work and is even shittier than the f-35. Full of issues.

I wonder how stupid those export clients are to keep purchasing this plane. Even the US MoD said it's a shitty plane.

There will be lot of investigations into corruption cases once the stupid public finds out they paid billions for sych a failure.

lyle6 wrote:If I was Israel I'd lobby and lobby hard for an entire F-35 manufacturing line situated within Israel, and then sell jail-broken F-35s all day long.

Worst of all is being Israel you would get away with it, there is nothing too expensive or trespassing too serious for them to be put in their place... is there any limit at all after the USS Liberty and getting nukes illegally??

LMFS wrote:ALIS was always the elephant in the room, radically incompatible with any thought of defence sovereignty. It is not that a "rogue" ally would be left without spares after breaking up with the US, it is that their planes would directly grounded unless the masters approve their use. The "free world" looks increasingly like a jail...

Funny comments from Rogoway confirming what we had already discussed:



Daddy's boy Israel (who doubted it) got permit to modify the plane's SW, while the serfs got the shaft, it is beyond embarrassing

Yeah I forgot to comment on Rogoway's tweets. Boy is that guy a spineless boot and nutsack licking sycophant, and if he was born in Germany back in the 1920's he'd be editing Goebbels speeches by the time the Brownshirts came in to power.

British General: F-35B Fighters ruin the Kingdom's army
The British armed forces have largely lost their combat readiness and cannot effectively support the United States and counter the Russian military.


"The Russians are laughing at us, the Americans are shaking their heads," British General Richard Dannatt, who headed the General staff of the British armed forces from 2006 to 2009, said in an interview with the Mirror newspaper.

"The Ministry of defense went bankrupt because of the f-35B stealth fighters of the Royal air force - 80 million pounds each and the cost in operation of up to 90 thousand pounds per hour," the publication says.

According to the former military commander, even the US air force is starting to look for a cheaper combat aircraft and plans to buy 138 F-35B aircraft for the UK are likely to be reduced to 48.

Earlier, the British Parliament assessed the potential of the armored forces of great Britain and Russia. Experts noted the obsolescence of tanks and armored vehicles, many of which are more than 30 years old.

https://z5h64q92x9.net/proxy_u/ru-en.en.e6eafbcc-604f9194-d539559a-74722d776562/https/rg.ru/2021/03/14/britanskij-general-istrebiteli-f-35b-razoriaiut-armiiu-korolevstva.html

This is a wild statistic— the total spending on the F-35 is greater than the total spending by China on the entire Belt and Road Initiative. (From, “The Uses and Abuses of Weaponized Interdependence”)


https://twitter.com/MarkLGoldberg/status/1371203331499130880

American corruption is on another level.
Lucky for our ruling class, the big corruption watchdog NGOs are bankrolled by... our ruling class, via their tax-avoidance schemes (euphemistically known as "nonprofit foundations").

https://twitter.com/MarkAmesExiled/status/1371467857490542595

Who's engaging in Debt-Trapping? Who's turning nations in to vassal states?

owais.usmani wrote:https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39920/a-marine-f-35b-fighter-jet-accidentally-shot-itself-with-its-own-gun-pod

A Marine F-35B Fighter Jet Accidentally Shot Itself With Its Own Gun Pod

That is an impressive feat of incompetence on the behalf of the designers.

I would like to know how they even managed this.

Only exceptional people can do this!

Hole wrote:Only exceptional people can do this!

What even more impressive is....*drum roll*...there wasn't a drunk Ukrainian behind the wheel!