Anyone read the September aviation article in the Gazette in which Maj Cannon proposes buying F-22s for the Marine Corps as an F-35B "Plan B"? It starts on page 52, and you can probably view the whole article on the preview site (you are allowed to see 3 pages free I think).
http://www.marinecorpsgazette-digital.com/marinecorpsgazette/201109?pg=59#pg57
I found the proposal both ridiculous, yet very intelligent and thought proviking at the same time. I like how this guy went outside the box to come up with something that just might work, and that no one else is talking about.
Here's the gist of the plan, since I know a bunch of people are going to comment without reading the article which would send this topic way off course:
- He starts with the huge cost over-runs of the JSF, especially in life-cycle costs
- Nobody else is getting F-35B's since England cancelled --> (this might be wrong, I thought Italy or Spain were also, but surely not many)
- The main problem is fulfilling the VMA mission organic to the MEU afloat
- Minor mention of sundown of VMAQ
- Proposal: high/lo incorporation of land based F-22s and EMB 314 that can recover aboard the LHA.
The justification is that the F-22 is cheaper both on a per-copy basis and on a total life cycle cost basis. It is also more capable. The problems (of which there are many) include making the F-22 expeditionary
My thoughts: I think his plan is pretty interesting, if only for that fact that it would really piss off the Air Force to see Raptors with wall to wall pylons and Mk-84s or rocket pods. At the same time, he doesn't really factor in the extra costs of having 3 training pipelines and maintenance requirements (F-22, EMB 314, F-35C) versus just one-ish (F-35B/C).
http://www.marinecorpsgazette-digital.com/marinecorpsgazette/201109?pg=59#pg57
I found the proposal both ridiculous, yet very intelligent and thought proviking at the same time. I like how this guy went outside the box to come up with something that just might work, and that no one else is talking about.
Here's the gist of the plan, since I know a bunch of people are going to comment without reading the article which would send this topic way off course:
- He starts with the huge cost over-runs of the JSF, especially in life-cycle costs
- Nobody else is getting F-35B's since England cancelled --> (this might be wrong, I thought Italy or Spain were also, but surely not many)
- The main problem is fulfilling the VMA mission organic to the MEU afloat
- Minor mention of sundown of VMAQ
- Proposal: high/lo incorporation of land based F-22s and EMB 314 that can recover aboard the LHA.
The justification is that the F-22 is cheaper both on a per-copy basis and on a total life cycle cost basis. It is also more capable. The problems (of which there are many) include making the F-22 expeditionary
My thoughts: I think his plan is pretty interesting, if only for that fact that it would really piss off the Air Force to see Raptors with wall to wall pylons and Mk-84s or rocket pods. At the same time, he doesn't really factor in the extra costs of having 3 training pipelines and maintenance requirements (F-22, EMB 314, F-35C) versus just one-ish (F-35B/C).
