Clark Griswold

Not resurrecting the two seat discussion but F-35 and drones are in the news... Air Force’s New Unmanned Strategy Has F-35 Pilots Flying Drones

I don't doubt it, same point was made in acquisition of the Osprey and if I were a Marine I would do the same thing to keep my own organic air assets. Copy - don't doubt you or other fighter guys can walk and chew gum at the same time. I've seen y'all manage the admin and the mission very well but I have also seen it get FUBAR. My point is a few two seat models might be a good idea but the community doesn't want it so therefore, it ain't gonna happen. Not confusing manned ISR and CAS and I agree with you about $100 million + LO two seat jet being overkill to thump a few jihadis My idea is that in the battlespaces (awesome buzzword) we fight in today, the targets are not necessarily easy to find even with CoT data, the CDE and Frat concerns are very high, the mission is very dynamic and targets fleeting, a second aviator can keep the chaos at bay to make the right call. Just my two cents with 0.0 fighter hours but more than a few hours over the AORs in several platforms.

It is impressive, I respect the USMC but I wish they could have as a service admitted that VSTOL / STOVL is just not a practical or operationally necessary capability when they could have argued for small deck carriers for fixed wing fighters. The history of this program would have been quite different. Water under the bridge though. Edit: minor changes

Don't doubt it is easy to fly but when there's 6 aircraft in the wheel, 4+ radios to manage, sensor re-tasking, a GFC, and an ITC to listen to and updates to be passed, sometimes load shedding occurs. Having a second aviator when it gets really busy works. A two place 35 could be a good platform for FAC-A or EW. Just a thought. Never gonna happen as that second seat would probably cost 20% + of a single seater and the 35 program needs extra costs like a sub needs screen doors. Enough with that. Not much of a demo but here's the B making noise and defying gravity at Miramar.

Point taken.

Ok. Not needed for a trainer or operational model? Just approaching it from a multi crew perspective, two seems reasonable for some of the missions it will need to perform, nothing passive-aggressive in that comment.

Amen. And now for something completely different... And a concept D model F-35 Could be an EW or Wild Weasel variant. If we're committed to buying the full lot, get a family model.

Theoretically. Do you mean retire, draw retirement pay and serve as a Guard TR? I have heard of it but I have also heard of it never working well.

Good article from Flight Global on Japanese stealth fighter; history, design and background. ANALYSIS: Japan's F-3 fighter pursuit is worth the wait

Just vaporware from the internet but what could have been, highly evolved existing designs at about half the costs, acquisition & operation. Boeing may have it right with their "balanced survivability" design philosophy vice all LO design. Not doubting the capability of a true LO design but the money required just keeps you from buying all the other nice toys you need

Yep - more porn: No doubt but if they could find a partner like India or Taiwan they could probably bring the cost down some. India may drop about 25 billion on 5th Gen Russian T-50s, if they could snake that deal from Mother Russia that would bring some economy of scale needed. If you were building a 5th Gen fighter and you had to limit some capes to keep the cost in budget (novel concept) - what could you min run or delete altogether?

Former UK Defense Chief Slams F-35 as ‘White Elephant’ From the article Yet even U.S. Air Force Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, recently acknowledged the F-35A will only offer limited close air support when it begins operational flights next year because it will initially lack the large area, high-definition synthetic aperture radar known as “BIG SAR” and a pinpoint glide bomb known as the Small Diameter Bomb II, or SDB-II. So keep the A-10C until these blocks are fielded.

They may be doing this on the cheap, just not reporting the true development cost or just not developing all the LO / 5th Gen capes the 22 & 35 have. They have a track record of significantly improving existing designs, bringing them in on the Silent Eagle for a further extension of that idea might have paid dividends, but that ship has sailed. Concept proposed Japanese Stealth Eagle They are buying F-35s but really wanted F-22s. They have lifted their self-imposed ban on exporting weapons so this might turn into a competitor to the F-35 for sales, possibly India as they aren't happy with the T-50 and that would give China a problem to worry about.

Update. Japan's F-3 could fly this summer. http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/watch-out-china-japan-readies-test-new-stealth-fighter-jet-12580

The company reps said they would offer that as an option but they didn't think the USAF would go for it - just from casual conversation with them at WEPTAC It has good maneuverability and power but not really enough for fighter lead-in (from a company pilot)

Thanks - I try. India is getting into the Light CAS game.... http://www.janes.com/article/51099/carter-to-offer-scorpion-to-india-under-joint-development-plan

Agreed but the F-35 could become self-aware and choke the pilot with the O2 hose and the AF would still talk about how it is the only answer to the CAS mission. The only thing that will get the AF off it's duff and figure out a way to fund an affordable / supportable / capable CAS asset is to threaten to give that mission to the Army then suddenly they will figure it out

True - this shit is like a horse fly, annoying and it will come back, swat it and move on.

Anything will be sacrificed to the Golden Calf Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Use liberally - unfortunately they are out there Checks with my homework Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ammunition for A-10 supporters (count me in). Doing The Math: Saving A-10s By Cutting F-35s By LT. COL. DAN WARDon August 12, 2014 at 2:38 PM

Copy all, agree to slightly disagree.

I don't think we are actually in too much disagreement on this but realize the position the PC corps puts her in, I read the article it was innocuous and she slipped the "jet nor troops doesn't care if you're a woman" quote in there, I interpret that as her saying "quit mentioning and focusing on the fact that I am woman even though that is the reason for this article" Most lady aircrew I've met (civilian or military) didn't have a chip on their shoulder about the fact they were a minority in the aviation community and the ones I did were no more or less annoying than some of the dudes i had the misfortune to work with who were nuclear powered ass-bots Hate the press not the pilot.

Ditto, I hate shit like this too and have never met her but my spider sense and cynical nature makes me suspect that some good idea fairy in PA and A1 volun-told her to do this.