The Future of the F-35 Italy cuts back

[Shelldrake]

According to CBC, Boeing is making an aggressive pitch for Canada to buy the Superhornet at half the cost of the F-35 with equivalent or better economic spinoffs. With budget cuts looming for DND this seems like a no-brainer, but then again this is the Harper government we are talking about.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/02/27/pol-fighter-jets-boeing-superhornet-f-35-milewski.html

[MIGMaster]

About time - I really think this is the way to go. The USA is planning to keep their 15's, 16's and 18's in the air longer now due to the problems with the F-35. Hopefully, the transition would be relatively painless due to our current use of the CF-18.

[mirth]

+1 The decision to dump the 35 is  overdue. Super Hornets are the obvious choice as the replacement.

[GDS_Starfury]

Im really on the fence as to whether or not the proliferation of UAVs has made the F-35 useless.  for air superiority I always want a pilot in the plane and on the scene.  for a glorified bomb truck... not so much.

[LongBlade]

Im really on the fence as to whether or not the proliferation of UAVs has made the F-35 useless.  for air superiority I always want a pilot in the plane and on the scene.  for a glorified bomb truck... not so much.

I can't wait to buy my ice cream from a UICT.

[eyebiter]

Jobs in 45 US Congressional districts at stake...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-22/flawed-f-35-fighter-too-big-to-kill-as-lockheed-hooks-45-states.html

"The F-35 funnels business to a global network of contractors that includes Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) and Kongsberg Gruppen ASA of Norway. It counts 1,300 suppliers in 45 states supporting 133,000 jobs -- and more in nine other countries, according to Lockheed. "

[Windigo]

Jobs in 45 US Congressional districts at stake...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-22/flawed-f-35-fighter-too-big-to-kill-as-lockheed-hooks-45-states.html

"The F-35 funnels business to a global network of contractors that includes Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) and Kongsberg Gruppen ASA of Norway. It counts 1,300 suppliers in 45 states supporting 133,000 jobs -- and more in nine other countries, according to Lockheed. "

thats a shitty reason to keep floging a dead horse

[Steelgrave]

Jobs in 45 US Congressional districts at stake...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-22/flawed-f-35-fighter-too-big-to-kill-as-lockheed-hooks-45-states.html

"The F-35 funnels business to a global network of contractors that includes Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) and Kongsberg Gruppen ASA of Norway. It counts 1,300 suppliers in 45 states supporting 133,000 jobs -- and more in nine other countries, according to Lockheed. "

thats a shitty reason to keep floging a dead horse

That's exactly why they spread defense appropriations out among so many different districts and among both parties. It's an old game....and it sucks a$$

[MIGMaster]

I'm really starting to think that the F-35 program may be the first fighter program, in recent memory anyway,  to collapse. They tried to skip a generation without the technology to do it..........

[eyebiter]

Boeing proposed the F-15SE Silent Eagle for South Korean FX program, along with the F-35 and Eurofighter.

[GDS_Starfury]

we need to start building new F-22s and let it follow the Eagles development life.

[Staggerwing]

I actually think that we need to drop the idea of a manned air superiority solution altogether while staying with real people driving our tactical bomb trucks. A UCAV will be able to preform far past the wet-ware boundaries of a manned fighter but when it comes to dropping enough ordinance to destroy an entire city block then we have to keep the human hand in to make the final call on whether to release or not.

[Steelgrave]

^You think UCAV's are there yet? I'm nowhere near up to speed on the tech, but I'm surprised to hear that nonetheless.

[GDS_Starfury]

UAVs cannot handle the air supremacy side of things yet.  IMHO it wont be able to for some time.

[Staggerwing]

Not now of course but I'll be willing to bet that by the time I'm 60 there will be a UCAV in service. Question is, who will field it first.