re: #314 ProLifeLiberal

To a point, but a massive number of parts on that things are interchangeable between the Su-27 Class and T-50.

You can see it in the cost, where it is half that of the F-35, and 1/4th that of the F-22.

Something is terribly wrong with procurement cost in this nation’s military, and government overall.

One thing that kills our weapons programs is that they’re treated as jobs programs. It can be impossible to rationalize or streamline production, because jobs will be lost.

But even worse is contractors putting out low-ball bids to win the contract to build a system then jacking up the costs. It sends costs soaring, so we buy less units, thus driving the per-unit cost up and making the project a boondoggle.

What the F-35 needs is a BRAC (Base Realignment And Closure)-type process. A non-partisan committee will review all the evidence and make a decision, with a moderate bias towards getting the fighter into production. The way forward laid out by the committee then gets an up-or-down vote in both houses, to eliminate shenanigans. I see this as the best way forward.