Sounds like another reason why 60-80 more would extend the fleet's capabilities.

Herald,

 

I kind of figured that part out, what I would like to know is why. What sets it apart from F-15/16/18 series upgrades and will those first 63 be training/research aircraft. I really can't see the AF getting their moneys worth out an non-upgradeable aircraft. Sounds like another reason why 60-80 more would extend the fleet's capabilities.

As far as I can tell the only thing we really disagree about is the JSF program. We both seem to think more F22s would be a good idea for the US and that exports of the F22 are not going to happen. Where as I believe the JSF program will be cut and you seem to believe it is too important to cut significantly, owing to the international participation the program is supposed to be based upon. The very reasons you and I dislike Gates (and by extension his masters in the White House and Congress) is why I have every confidence the JSF program will be functionally destroyed within 12 months. They will make it look like our partners pulled out or find another excuse to justify the termination, but terminate it they will, IMV.

 

A political administration whom would turn on its international partners like these have will consider themselves to be under no obligation to live up to the JSF program's agreements. We will see as it plays out. I can tell you it looks an awful lot like 1976 right now with a socialist US Congress and White house utterly gutting the US military because they don't like them and they believe the use of force is always the problem and not ever the solution.

 

Allot of good work will be rolled back and allot of people around the world will die or be enslaved because of this.

 

Check Six

 

Rocky

rocky,

I fundamentally agree with youm except for as you say, which way JSF will go.  From a partners perspective,  and from what we see from the USAF overall program manager, they're fully committed. UAS is a golden mile away from fulfilling core missions, and the integration issues are not trivial.  getting UAS to operate in prescriptive sanitised space is not the same as effecting potitive prosecution in complex battlespace.  Manned is here for a while.  IMO, JSF will be 2015-2030's F-16, F15, F/A-18 etc....

at the human level, I can't but help thinking that we're looking at an updated version of Carter.  I'd like to be wrong, as I have personal high hopes that Obama can rebuild some of the relationship malaise that has occurred over time with other countries.  But, people, like countries have motive, and political intent is often far removed from public portrayal.

I have been, for some time, under the impression that the processor obsolescence issue was never fully solved.  That would seem to me to be related to a fundamental rewiring issue.  Bus limitations...  Though, now I wonder if it does not also have to do with a polytape if it is a *hardware* design problem, as I believe Herald said it was a 1970's solution...

The hardware problem that all of the F-22's is due to an 80's architecture that can't be modified - unless as I said before it basically is a new build.  ie looks like an F-22 on the outside, but on the inside is a completely different beast.  Those pushing for more F-22's either are oblivious as to the very real probems that this platform will have in sustainment at through life points, or they're ignoring it.  Eitehr way, you just can't do a component upgrade, its a systems issue 

And, the other legacy issue that I do not have any recollection of being backfitted to all units was the plumbing which shoved the bombs out at speeds above mach 1 or high AoA.  

If they can't effectively fix the core hardware issues, then the legacy plumbing and harnessing issues won't go away.  My view, is that a great plane was screwed from the start.  70's interfaces, 80's core architecture and married to 21st century digitised weapons systems.  The fact that it can clean up anything in its path says much about how good it could have been if it wasn't saddled with the core problems.  Lockmart screwed the pooch.  I suspect that the Executive  are more than aware of it and hence their rush to cap future builds.  Sustaining the existing fleet is fine, building extras in volume, having proper through life support  and critical warstocks of critical components is another story.  Again, JSF learnt some very very serious lessons about how not to get caught with architecture and interface obsolesence.  The irony is that the very testing processes that some in the old engineering fraternity have been subcutaneously contemptuous of - are some of the very reasons why JSF has a future and why F-22 will always have development limitations.  A few Defence Journos in "big name" publications should be hanging their collective heads in shame - as they obviously didn't pay too much attention over the last few years.  The tail coat draggers who have almost biblically parroted the same tosh on blogs and fan sites are even worse off. (it shows that they couldn't think for themselves and swallowed the spin a little too quickly

Either of these solutions could be rolled back into the older airframes, but at a tremendous cost (especially a bus issue).  So there is my two cents and open curiousity.