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Just a thought but what would be the reaction to selling the F117 to Japan. .
I doubt it unless there is just one prototype being tested, but even then there would be a trail somewhere that a secretive aircraft program is being undertaken. When the -117 was being built there were hundreds of people entering buildings 309 and 310 at Lockheed's old B-6 facility in Burbank. Most if not all of the people who worked there were pretty tight lipped although the local community knew 'something' was going on there. C-5s landing in Burbank at dusk, large convoys of trucks departing the facility at all hours, there was enough evidence to show something was going on. In today's world you have folks in the media picking up on the "signs" of a large secretive aircraft production program as during the F-117A days.I bet the F117 replacement is sitting in a hanger in Groom Lake.
I doubt it unless there is just one prototype being tested, but even then there would be a trail somewhere that a secretive aircraft program is being undertaken. When the -117 was being built there were hundreds of people entering buildings 309 and 310 at Lockheed's old B-6 facility in Burbank. Most if not all of the people who worked there were pretty tight lipped although the local community knew 'something' was going on there. C-5s landing in Burbank at dusk, large convoys of trucks departing the facility at all hours, there was enough evidence to show something was going on. In today's world you have no one in the media picking up on the "signs" of a large secretive aircraft production program as during the F-117A days.
The design work can be done by people who dont even need to be at the factory. And component construction can be done by various small shops scattered around the country. Just a select bunch need to go build it at a hanger. Not efficient, but still doable.
As stated, they were to a point for the 117 and the few pre stealth bomber/ fighter aircraft but DARPA cannot and I will repeat cannot hide a large production aircraft program. They can keep it under wraps to a point but someone will know something is going on and you cannot explain away hundreds of people (who you cannot separate into small shops) being employed at a specified location as well as raw material purchases, fictitious companies ordering special actuators and avionics, and even some of the composite materials - when all this stuff is being purchased it leaves a trail and "super secret" programs is something made for Hollywood, there is ALWAYS some money or people trail left behind. Even when the white 737s were flying up to the ranch every week, local folks in Vegas knew something was going on.Where there's a will, there's a way. And DARPA can be quite clever when it needs to. Especially when all they intend to do is build a few prototypes before deciding to put it into production.
In the 1950s and 60s possibly, but now you have "fixed priced contracts" where you cannot have cost over runs and on larger programs DoD funding is monitored by members of congress. If a cost over run is incurred because or an unforeseen technical or logistic problem, the contractor has to plead their case and beg for forgiveness in bucks and blood.I've always suspected that some of the cost over runs on programs that are public, are actually going into special accounts that fund the secret stuff.
And DARPA kink of all black. Please.
I thought the F-22 was supposed to be the next generation air superiority fighter (?)
Not a pound for ground, is that what they say?
But then ground attack came later for political economic reasons.
Regardless, can one machine excel at all those different tasks?
Air superiority, ground attack, interdiction, strike, etc, etc, etc.
Has the F-22 solved the one-plane-for-all-tasks dilemma?
I also thought one of the reasons for choosing the YF-22 was because of its thrust vectoring and air superiority performance.
Perhaps the more stealthy but less maneuverable YF-23 would have made a better ground pounder?
These are all just questions, not meant to challenge what anyone has posted.
Right now the F-15E and Super Hornet are filling the role of a precision strike/ attack aircraft just fine. F-22, B1B and B-2 are not even in the equasion.So if I understand correctly...
F-111 has been retired
F-117 has been retired
Naval A-6 can't be borrowed because that's been retired
F-35 will be replacement
While we wait for the F-35, existing assests will need to be used as a stopgap (F-22, F-15E, B1B, B2, etc.)