Forum: General F-35 Forum

Quote:

McCain, who cited AOL Defense's interview last week with F-35 program head Vice Adm. David Venlet, pointed to the LRIP Lot 5 negotiations with Lockheed. "It is at this exact moment that the excessive overlap between development and production that was originally structured into the JSF program (called "concurrency") is now coming home to roost.

..."When the head of the most expensive, highest-profile weapon systems program in US history effectively says, 'Hold it! We need to slow down [how] much we are buying!' We should all pay close attention," McCain told his colleagues on the Senate floor.

Read more: http://defense.aol.com/2011/12/05/mccai ... a-tragedy/

Sometimes I think Senator Levin plays 'Good Cop' while Senator McCain plays 'Bad Cop", the idea being that somebody has to put pressure on everyone to get things back on schedule and costs under control. Other times, I think he believes we should kill this program.

Of course, he was a huge critic of the C-130J too.

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He also wrote a bill to cancel the whole F-22 program not long before production. Essentially, his personal rule is either "if it flies, I oppose it", or maybe "if it flies and would benefit the Air Force, I oppose it"

Or perhaps he is looking at a much bigger picture, the overall deficite of US national dept.. and ways to improve it.
I don't wanna rain on anyones parade here, but its a politician job.

Anyone know what he proposes as an alternative if the F-35 is cancelled?

popcorn wrote:

Anyone know what he proposes as an alternative if the F-35 is cancelled?

Ultralights and crossbows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSh5XyNjuKY LMAO

You would think that as a combat pilot he understands the need for air power. If congress is so mad about the F-35 then they shouldn't have mandated that it be the only thing there is. They did this to themselves.

sprstdlyscottsmn wrote:

You would think that as a combat pilot he understands the need for air power. If congress is so mad about the F-35 then they shouldn't have mandated that it be the only thing there is. They did this to themselves.

They did it to themselves on F-22 as well. Why is it the Service's have to have inquiry after inquiry in relation to why projects aren't managed well, but Congress gets away with one stupid idea after another and nothing is ever done about THAT?

Congress mandated JAST become one basic aircraft and so on.

sprstdlyscottsmn wrote:

If congress is so mad about the F-35 then they shouldn't have mandated that it be the only thing there is. They did this to themselves.

Thanks you for saying that! I could not agree more. The US Congress forced all the various and competing fighter programs together. The US Congress mandated this one size fits all aircraft. Were any of them aware of the TFX/F-111 program? Surely McCain himself would remember that. Did he speak up and speak out against this idea when it would have made a difference?

So once they forced everyone onto this road by writ of law, and now they've run into all the problems that were predicted right from the get-go, now it's everyone's fault but theirs. Maybe Senators Levin and McCain should get up and give a speech where they take full personal responsibility for foisting this fiasco onto the United States and every other country involved.

popcorn wrote:

Anyone know what he proposes as an alternative if the F-35 is cancelled?

There isn't one. How many times does it need to be said?

JSF 'Scandal And A Tragedy' only when McCain mouthes the term, but what could one expect from a "closet" Democrat. Laughing

McCain, embarrasing for Naval Aviation! Bang Head

Why are we manufacturing aircraft that we know have seriously structural problems and won't be able to fly 8000hrs without major structural repairs?

popcorn wrote:

Anyone know what he proposes as an alternative if the F-35 is cancelled?

A-4's.

If the F35 is 'Scandal And A Tragedy' I wonder how he describes the incident where 'someone' fired a missile on the deck of a carrier causing a disaster?

handyman wrote:

Why are we manufacturing aircraft that we know have seriously structural problems and won't be able to fly 8000hrs without major structural repairs?

I think that might be an overstatement. There are structural issues that need to be addressed, in order to get the 8000+hr life, but it's a bit much to say that there are serious issues. Finding these issues is normal- it's just that the concurrence is a new thing. It's not that the overall design is somehow flawed.

beepa wrote:

If the F35 is 'Scandal And A Tragedy' I wonder how he describes the incident where 'someone' fired a missile on the deck of a carrier causing a disaster?

If you're talking about the USS Forrestal incident, that was actually a misfired rocket due to a power surge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_USS_Forrestal_fire

Forum: General F-35 Forum

JSF a "'Scandal And A Tragedy" ~ Sen John McCain