re: #149 Dark_Falcon

They had to end the F-22 production early because it was so overbudget and bloated. It’s a hanger queen that still suffers from serious deficiencies. Sure, it might get worked out over the next decade, but that’s added costs that we have to pay for (or otherwise add to the national debt). And we’re already seeing added costs as a result of upgrading to F-22A, which allows them to fire off JDAMs
(which current aircraft are able to do). The F-22 also lacks the ability to go after targets that UAVs and even attack helicopters are able to do - a mission that is critical in current environment given the ongoing terror threat from the likes of al Shabaab, al Qaeda, ISIL/ISIS, Taliban factions, etc.

Air superiority may still be the F-22’s forte, but it’s not what the USAF needs to fight the fights it’s being asked to do. Existing aircraft can do the same job better, and for less money.

Same with the F-35. The program lacks an operational cannon for at least another couple of years, which is bad news if you’re planning on sending the A-10 to the Boneyard ASAP. The F-35 was meant to be all things to all services, and it isn’t doing any of them particularly well, except as to suck up funds. More to the point:

Bloomberg is now saying that Pentagon director of combat testing Michael Gilmore recently warned Congress of “serious deficiencies” in the F-35 stealth fighter — deficiencies over and above those related to the gun. Already over budget and overdue for deployment, Gilmore says the F-35 still has only limited ability to:

drop bombs
share data with other aircraft
track hostile incoming missiles
identify enemy radar
and, in general, perform “effective combat operations against advanced enemy air defenses”
His understated assessment: This plane has “deficiencies remaining that will affect operational units.”

It would seem that those deficiencies go to the very essence of what the F-35 is supposed to do, not only for the USAF, but USMC, USN, and foreign partners who were intent to buy units.

It further lacks the ability to deliver sufficient weapons on target without using external hardpoints, which undermines the whole purpose of stealth.

Software upgrades are needed, and those will be years in the making before they are migrated to units in service now.

Lockheed needs this program since it will make up a huge chunk of its revenue in coming years. Every bug means a fix (and a cost to taxpayers). Every delay means another fix (and cost to taxpayers).