13 Apr 2018, 17:13
Personally, I'm enjoying all the crow Pierre Sprey, APA etc are eating. And it's only going to get worse for them...
I for one am really jazzed watching the USAF, Marines, allies and soon the Navy take delivery of a brand new fighter jet. I was too young to understand what was going on when the F-15/16 entered service - though I came to love those aircraft. The F-16 went IOC in what, 1979? The F-15 well before that and of course the F-14 toward the end of Vietnam. Even when the F-18 was new (1982) I couldn't grasp what a jump in lethality those jets brought.
But I'm 48 now, and can clearly understand the F-35's importance. Exciting times, watching it mature and such. The 20:1 kill ratio reports from Red Flag. The Paris display. The eventual combat record. I'm so happy for the men who fly her, and everyone that's involved with the program really. Given my age, it's probably the last time I'll see a new "fighter" introduced. Sobering thought, but I'll die easier knowing American air power is still leaps and bounds ahead of the threat...