Forum: Program and politics

From some leaked budget numbers (official release tomorrow morning,) the DoD will buy 29 F-35s for FY 2013 (LRIP-7): 19 -A; 6 -B; 4 -C. The Navy is also continuing to purchase Super Hornets and Growlers, 26 and 10 respectively.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/02/d ... n-021112w/

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/02/d ... s-021212w/

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Some more USAF Budget info here:

Spending on aircraft to dip 12 percent in 2013 By Dave Majumdar Feb 12, 2012

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/ ... p-021212w/

"...The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program for the Air Force, Navy and Marines is slowing down its ramp-up to full rate production to reduce concurrency. Procurement would drop by two jets to 29 aircraft: 19 of those jets are to be Air Force F-35A model jets, four are to be Navy carrier-based F-35Cs, six are to the Marine F-35B jump jet variant.

The planes are being bought for $6.1 billion, and the Pentagon would spend $2.7 billion on development work...."

hotrampphotography wrote:

I still like the idea of a split fleet for the RCAF consisting of F-35's and Super Hornets. They would complement each other well.

Two aircraft types.
Two maintenance trains.
Two training programs.
Two support programs.

More money spent on logistics.

luke_sandoz wrote:

hotrampphotography wrote:

I still like the idea of a split fleet for the RCAF consisting of F-35's and Super Hornets. They would complement each other well.

Two aircraft types.
Two maintenance trains.
Two training programs.
Two support programs.

More money spent on logistics.

Also I'm not sure whether they would be that great a compliment for Canada's defense needs. Shorter range, inferior sensors and (likely) higher operating costs... it doesn't help any domestic requirement. Given that everybody is going to the F-35, its less advantageous in that realm.

A link to Turkey intentions regarding F-35 buy was posted in the Korean thread: Will South Korea reject the F-35 ? http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopi ... rt-15.html

Turkey keeps plan to buy 100 F-35 fighter jets 23 Feb 2012

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/ ... IM20120223

"ISTANBUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Turkey is sticking to plans to buy 100 of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets for $16 billion, with an initial order of two planes for delivery in 2015, its defence minister said,..."

As always more at the jump... (I concede this news could have gone in the Turkey thread but whatever).

Turkey's F-35 Decision Driven by Technology Transfer Concerns
BY FRANCESCO F. MILAN | 23 FEB 2012 | World Politics Review

"On Jan. 5, Turkey’s Defense Industry Executive Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, authorized the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries to open negotiations with Lockheed Martin for the purchase of two F-35 multi-role combat fighters by 2015. Though Turkey's defense minister today clarified that Turkey still intends to follow through with its intention to acquire 100 F-35s, the small initial purchase represents yet another setback for the troubled program."

"...Ankara’s decision to move slowly on its F-35 purchase is not just driven by the project’s technical problems.* It also has to do with the United States’ uneasiness in sharing technology with Turkey, a problem dating back to the 1980s, when Turkey purchased its first F-16s."

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/arti ... r-concerns

Forum: Program and politics

F-35 orders