Aviation Week: the F-35 in serious trouble

[james84]

During the last days, the debate over the F-35 and whether or not buying it is the dominating piece of news in Italy.
I decided to take a look around for some articles and found this one
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/de ... 84d20afe99

Japan has announced it will buy some airframes...

[DaleRFU]

should just keep the Harriers........oops I ment kept

[james84]

should just keep the Harriers........oops I ment kept

Italy too!
We don't have money to buy this stuff! Long live the F-16!

[reconmercs]

and the hits just keep on coming with the pile o crap....
http://www.f-16.net/news_article4494.html

[petebramley]

Can we have our Harriers back please

[ahs06]

Boeing might end up making a killing on super hornets If the f-35 program keeps getting pushed back. I'm not sure what they were thinking with this project. If a single mission platform takes a few years to get all the growing pains out, How long will this disaster take? My guess is the final flight to DMAFB the way things are going.

[MIKE JG]

Can we have our Harriers back please

Yes but with the current exchange rate, we're gonna have to charge you guys double!

[phantomfreak]

Too bad McDonnell-Douglas got absorbed into Boeing. At least they could build a Navy airplane. Or at least turn an Air Force aircraft into a Navy one.
(Just not the T-45.)

[petebramley]

Can we have our Harriers back please

Yes but with the current exchange rate, we're gonna have to charge you guys double!

Not sure about this lot but the previous Gov would have thought that a bargain

[VulcanDriver]

We only need enough second-hand F-18s for one carrier seeing as our second carrier is being mothballed straight after its launch, or, if my guess is right, it will be sold to the French as they want a new carrier but cannot afford to build one themselves.

[MIKE JG]

War has gotten expensive.....

[miljan]

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/ ... 5s-020612/

[Keith Jones]

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/ ... 5s-020612/

How long does it take to re-pack a chute?

[Firebird]

Well we used to have a chute section for the F-4 and they took up to 24hrs to repack a chute. We never packed a seat chute as they were always maintained by Martin Baker, RTM'd. No different here by the sounds of it.

[Keith Jones]

Thanks, Steve.

[james84]

After much debate, the Italian Ministry of Defense will get 90 F-35 instead of the planned 131.
There will also be several budget cuts for the defense sector and the personnel will be reduced to 150.000 militaryand 20.000 civilians.

[sprocky]

Can we have our Harriers back please

Sometimes I miss some things. I just retired the UK Harriers in my sim

[MIKE JG]

US Defense Secretary Panetta just took the F-35B off of probation WAAAAAAAAAAAY sooner than anyone thought it would or should be taken off.

Politics at their finest.

[reconmercs]

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/03/07/eglin ... cut-short/

one of the comments at the bottom of the article summed it up nicely:
"If you keep them on the ground they wont break. Once upon a time America "could" make aircraft that worked and did the job. Not anymore, just high priced junk....."

[VulcanDriver]

Seeing as the UK is working closely with the French I wonder why we don't by the Rafael N for our carrier. At least is combat proven (Libya) and cheaper then the F-35 crap.