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F-35B/C Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter)

Alpha_Echo_606

Alpha_Echo_606

Does not play well with others!™
Contributor
f35-2.jpg

121203-O-GR159-002 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 3, 2012) F-35B test aircraft BF-3, flown by Lt. Cmdr. Michael Burks, completes the first aerial weapons release of an inert 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb by any variant of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. BF-3 dropped the GBU-12 over the Atlantic Test Ranges from an internal weapons bay. The F-35B is the variant of the Lightning II designed for use by the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as F-35 international partners in the United Kingdom and Italy. The F-35B is capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings to enable air power projection from amphibious ships, ski-jump aircraft carriers and expeditionary airfields. The F-35B is undergoing flight test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River, Md., prior to delivery to the fleet. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin by Layne Laughter/Released)
 
Brett327

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
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The nordic economies have managed to isolate themselves to a certain extent from the economic fray in the rest of Europe. That said, if I were Boeing, I'd have my reps start pushing their 18E/F/G lines like nobody's business to DSCA as an alternative. The shitty part of that equasion would be that DoD will absorb the increased unit cost of JSF, but at least it offers a path to flow those FMS expenditures toward the US economy.
 
Jim123

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
helolumpy said:
Of course Sweden has indigenous aircraft production and it looks like they are selling to their neighbors.
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$4,700/flight hour has gotta be a strong selling point for a lot of countries these days (a good bit cheaper than the F-16 and pretty much everything else, if Jane's and Wiki are to be believed).
 
Flash

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
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Super Moderator
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LFCFan said:
The ambassador (or some other big-wig) from Norway was on The Daily Show recently and actually said their defense budget was going up. Something about wanting to pull their weight in NATO. I couldn't believe my ears.
Click to expand...

When you have more oil/gas money than you can spend you can do stuff like that.
 
Sheepdip

Sheepdip

Active Member
Contributor
I had the opportunity to poke and pet AF-01 last year...testing hiccups aside...It's still an impressive machine.
 
W

whitesoxnation

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
So the Marine Corps is now stating F-35 IOC will be mid-2015 and the Air Force in mid-2016.

I'm particularly interested in how this will play out for the Marine Corps. Does anyone know what the timeline for fleet squadron transitions is? I'm asking because I haven't seen an up to date AVPLAN. Because of the sequester, are current programs being given less funding and future programs slid to the left to cover that funding gap? With one war over, the other winding down, and no imminent threat, I think some people would believe the most logical thing to do would be to accept a lesser level of readiness right now and slide these future programs to the left... more as a way of shifting money around than improving (or even maintaining) current readiness levels, not as a result of needing the F-35 sooner than later.
 
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