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Well, I'd say hedging their bets. They built nowhere near enough F-22's and have already built too many F-35's so the F-15ex will be there to be a known quantity for the medium term till they see if the F-35 actually performs in combat as well as they think it will from exercises. Reality has a way of being far different from a Tom Clancy-esque fantasy where everything works perfect the first try.
Depends on who's saying it.I am seeing a lot about the F-35 requiring a lot more maintenance than anticipated. Is this this due to teething issues and working out the bugs or is it something else?
Not even close. The F-35A is supposed to replace the F-16, close to 2000 airframes. The F-35A already served in combat (Israel) and the Marines have 5 active F-35B squadrons. Also remember the aircraft is being manufactured in Italy and Japan. The F-35 is a STRIKE aircraft with 3 different versions available and should not be compared in any way with the F-22Well, I'd say hedging their bets. They built nowhere near enough F-22's and have already built too many F-35's so the F-15ex will be there to be a known quantity for the medium term till they see if the F-35 actually performs in combat as well as they think it will from exercises. Reality has a way of being far different from a Tom Clancy-esque fantasy where everything works perfect the first try.
Not sure if you've perused further upthread, but the F-35 flogging by the media is virtually the same as any other advanced type developed in the past.That's what I thought. If it's so bad why are countries buying it. If the IAF likes it what can be bad?
I have. Modern aircraft are very complex. It's not like rushing JN-4's into service.Not sure if you've perused further upthread, but the F-35 flogging by the media is virtually the same as any other advanced type developed in the past.
I even posted a quote from an op-ed from the 70's regarding the F-16, that was virtually identical to what's being said about the F-35.
Exactly! And as been said many times, many of the delays are due to required customer testing aside from the "add ons" that add more cost, but the media always ignores this. Meanwhile close to 650 F-35s (all versions) have been built.I have. Modern aircraft are very complex. It's not like rushing JN-4's into service.
Not even close. The F-35A is supposed to replace the F-16, close to 2000 airframes. The F-35A already served in combat (Israel) and the Marines have 5 active F-35B squadrons. Also remember the aircraft is being manufactured in Italy and Japan. The F-35 is a STRIKE aircraft with 3 different versions available and should not be compared in any way with the F-22
I remember around 1976 when the F-15/ F-16 was coming on line and all the bitching and moaning about the price and how the media jumped on any bad press about either aircraft. Into the 80s the B-1B and eventually the B-2 became the whipping boys. F-22 got it's lumps and now the F-35. Waiting for the B-21 to hit the presses!Here's a great artical about the F-16 that covers it's development in detail and all that was involved in the process.
You can *almost* replace the word "F-16" for "F-35", as it used advanced (for it's day) technology that needed to be debugged.
In the end, the F-16 proved to be a solid investment, just as the F-35 will (and already is).
The Outrageous Adolescence of the F-16
Once they found out it existed. Oh how I remember the the "media experts" and their take on the "F-19"And don't forget how the press jumped all over the "Wobbly Goblin" like a pack of dogs on a three legged-cat.
I used the "4Q" phrase on a guy who used to like to read what was on people's desks. I think I called it a "4Q-1 drone and he bought itTrue story. On the railroad a newbie dispatcher reached out to a train that was losing time as it has to be recorded and accounted for. The engineer, aka "Special Ed" (honest!) told the dispatcher that he had a problem with the 4Q2 valve but he reset the flux capacitor and it seems to be holding.
You could hear her frantically flipping through the trouble shooting manual over the radio.
More - 665+" https://www.f35.com/content/dam/loc.../images/FG21-00000_001 F35FastFacts7_2021.pdfExactly! And as been said many times, many of the delays are due to required customer testing aside from the "add ons" that add more cost, but the media always ignores this. Meanwhile close to 650 F-35s (all versions) have been built.