Message posted by JoeinTX on May 23, 2009 at 21:56:05 PST:

Two huge problems with serious F-35 cuts:

#1-The USAF and USN are depending upon it immensely to fill tarmacs and carrier decks to replace a large number of aging airplanes. There are no mature, operational production ready UCAVs on the horizon that could do this for either in the next 5-10 years so that leaves the services little choice.

There was a F-22 vs. F-35 battle that now seems to be winding down. Cut F-35 numbers to fund extra F-22s or freeze the F-22 line and focus on the F-35 program as it currently sits.....??? The latter argument seems to have won out and will ultimately result in more manned combat aircraft in the USAF than the former.

#2-The partners in the international F-35 program have joined based in large part based upon forecasted unit costs of the airplane within a reasonable margin. One of the hallmarks of the JSF program was it's ability to produce an "affordable" next generation stealthy tactical airplane "for the masses" as it were.

If the USAF/USN (or any other partners for that matter) go seriously cutting their purchases then the individual unit cost of the airplane begins to rise and could result in contractual problems for all members. Ala the RAF's recent conundrum regarding Tranche 3 Typhoons which they now are not terribly interested in taking on but if they were to cancel would result in serious financial penalties per their contract with the Eurofighter consortium making them almost as expensive to cancel as to buy. Those penalties placed in large part to help defer the cost of reduced unit production for the remaining members of the Eurofighter team.

If the U.S. were to cut 300-400 F-35s for example.....that would drive the unit cost for all other units up between 10-12% which could result in partner nations cutting orders or cancelling their contracts citing the original cost calculations stipulation in the original agreement....which would then have a further domino effect making everyone's F-35 further more expensive than they planned.

It appears that the DOD accountants won this battle......it is financially and ultimately politically cheaper to pursue the F-35 program in current state and numbers than to mokey with it for a wing or two of extra F-22s. Too many implications for making serious changes versus an entirely domestic program in the F-22 that is very expensive and has become increasingly expendable as the F-35 evolves.

I've got no problem with that.......

In Reply to: Re: Spirit and Raptor photos posted by psiuh88 on May 23, 2009 at 9:34:00 PST:

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