Marco Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 From this morning's AFA Daily Report: Plan B: Procuring F-22s is a viable option for the Marine Corps in place of acquiring the F-35B strike fighter, according to one Marine Corps officer. Doing this "may seem like an extreme course of action, but it makes the most sense for the Marine Corps for several reasons," asserted Maj. Christopher Cannon, an operations analyst with Marine Corps Combat Development Command, in a September article in the Marine Corps Gazette, the service's professional journal. Cannon argues that the Marines could purchase F-22s for less than the F-35's current flyaway cost. Plus, F-22s would "cost less" to maintain than F–35Bs, he states, citing Air Force estimates of some $44,000 per flying hour for the F-22 and his own projection of up to $50,000 per flying hour for the F-35B. He says this would make the costs of restarting the F-22 manufacturing line worthwhile. Capability-wise, the F-22s "dwarfs the F–35," he states. Cannon's article discussed the F-22 option in the context of the two-year F-35B probation period that is intended to give the Marines time to overcome the aircraft's developmental issues or face F-35B cancellation What say you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClearedHot Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I say why read the AFA extract when you can read the entire article here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Good get, sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brabus Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I absolutely think we need to restart the line and procure more Raptors, but to the Marines for CAS? Complete waste. I know this is a big IF, but if what I've seen holds true for the F-35, that aircraft will be a lot better suited for the Marines than a Raptor (not to say either is a better choice over a Hog, upgraded hornets, etc). I'm with Beerman, get rid of this expensive problem called STOVL, but simply give the Marines the F-35A and call it good. Regardless, like Beerman said, it'll never happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Yep, I thought it was interesting, but nonetheless it'll be like the USMC Tomcat. Non-existent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky_king Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I wonder how much it would cost to start up the A-10 production line again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEflyer Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I wonder how much it would cost to start up the A-10 production line again. A lot less than $700 billion.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrainerModel Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 ...and his own projection of up to $50,000 per flying hour for the F-35B Just remember where the information is coming from, not saying he's wrong, just one person. Also, wtf are the marines going to do with essentially a -15C? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernmentMan Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Kill aliens, duh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breckey Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Don't think that the Raptor has a drag chute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Just remember where the information is coming from, not saying he's wrong, just one person. Well, I'm saying this one person is wrong, in just about every one of his facts and assumptions. Nice try, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BQZip01 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 (edited) The Marine Corps is saying exactly what the Air Force has been saying for the last 10 years. I say absolutely do it. Restart the line, buy the Marines 60 Raptors, and while you're at it buy the Air Force another 60. STOVL does not get us any great combat capability, and although the Raptor is NOT designed to do CAS, it's probably not much worse than the F-35B. And 120 more Raptors for the United States military is definitely a good thing. Too bad it will never happen. STOVL offers us a myriad of combat capabilities (starting with the lack of 7,000 ft runways in the 3rd world); I won't even mention the uses of helicopters. However, I agree that the Raptor isn't designed for CAS, but, in the long run, re-opening the F-22 assembly line would be a net win for the US DoD Edited October 13, 2011 by BQZip01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champ Kind Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 STOVL offers us a myriad of combat capabilities Do what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CAVEMAN Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 The Marine Corps has no business meddling with anything F-22. They should go on a multi-buy contract with the US Navy for the Super Hornet. The logistics support and the ability to land on USS Carrier should not be ignored. And did we forget the price tag? The Marine Corps will spend their shlitz maintaining Raptors. Hell, one of those will probably outfit a whole Infantry Division with required gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Marines are stupid. Too stupid to be fucking around with airplanes in the first place, let alone the F/A-22. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosuper Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Just maintaining the low obsevable covering will eat their budget. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingle Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 seems to me a swarm of AT-6s (or updated A-10s) makes a lot more sense for marine CAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breckey Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Or OV-10's. Hell the there are probably some guys that flew them in DS1 still in the squadrons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tac airlifter Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Forgive my ignorance; is there an A/G mod of F-22 out there? I thought it was an air to air player only. And BQ, having been all over the third world, including present location, there are plenty of >7K runways. I've never seen STOL used, or been somewhere it was required. Anything is possile in the future, but cost exceeds benefit for that capability in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Noonin Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Forgive my ignorance; is there an A/G mod of F-22 out there? I thought it was an air to air player only. Yes, F-22s can drop bombs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breckey Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I believe they can carry SDB's. There was a designation change to F/A for a couple of years in the early 2000's for budget reasons i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tac airlifter Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Yes, F-22s can drop bombs. Thanks, I didn't know that. Is that an internal payload or with external mounts? I recall seeing a picture of one with hard points. Thought it was a joke at the time. Any idea of how much they can carry or is that privledged info? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Yes, F/A-22s can drop bombs. FIFY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeHoler Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 STOVL is only a requirement because of the MEUs embarked on the LHDs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingle Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 (edited) Thanks, I didn't know that. Is that an internal payload or with external mounts? I recall seeing a picture of one with hard points. Thought it was a joke at the time. Any idea of how much they can carry or is that privledged info? we were finalizing the F-22 oriented testing on these at Edwards when I was there in 2009 they're stored internally just like all of the other munitions it can carry Edited October 15, 2011 by Dingle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now