Some of you may recall that early in the Obama administration, the President forced Congress to drop funding for the F-22 fighter jet by threatening to veto the Defense Authorization bill. The argument went that after all, soon we would have the F-35, which would make the F-22 obsolete.
Had the F-35 been built, it is unlikely that the F-22 would have become obsolete. But now, more than three years later, the F-35 has not been built. It has also seen huge cost overruns. And as a result of President Hussein Obama's foolish decision, the United States will be forced to use F-15's and F-16's - many of which are older than many of you reading this post - for many years to come.
Lockheed Martin first received the contract in 2001 to produce the
plane, and there now is little hope that it will be ready for full
production and deployment by the projected 2020 date, aviation analysts
say.
The development is placing even greater stress on the aging F-15s,
F-16s and F/A-18s and the more recent stealth fighter F-22, whose
production was halted in favor of proceeding with the F-35. Almost all
of these aircraft, produced by Lockheed Martin, have been in service
since the 1980s.
While they have been updated with new avionics and internal
technologies, they are becoming less competitive with the new fifth
generation fighters being developed and beginning to go into production
in Russia and China.
Since it’s been 11 years since the contract was awarded, and there’s
still uncertainty when the F-35 will be available, there is mounting
concern that it may not be the aircraft envisioned in 2001 as plans are
proceeding to prepare for the “sixth-generation” fighter to be ready by
2030.
Now, the sustainment cost for the F-35 is estimated to approach $1
trillion, and the new head of the joint program office for the F-35 is
thinking of abandoning Lockheed’s support system for the aircraft and
open it up to competition.
Critics say that the approach may work in the long term but it won’t
ensure delivery of the aircraft by 2020. By then, it is estimated that
only a fraction of the requested 2,400 will be operational.
The services needing the F-35 will still have to rely primarily on
updated F-15s, F-16s, F/A-18s and F-22s, as will European partners who
will have to weigh whether to continue their investment in the F-35 or
instead place their limited funding in upgrading what they have.
At this point, the services, especially the Air Force, need to worry
about the U.S. industrial base that not only supports the development of
the F-35 but has been involved in the production of the older aircraft.
In recognition of maintaining the industrial base and meeting
legitimate defense needs, critics say the decision may have to be made
to continue production of the older aircraft and devise new ways to
adjust military plans to new capabilities to meet future needs by 2030.
Really cool video of the day: IAF F-15 hits flock of birds, lands safely
This IAF pilot is the guy I want flying my next plane. His F-15 hit a flock of pelicans, five of which got sucked into the engine, and he managed to land safely without ejecting.
An inquiry into the incident found that the F-15 took off from the Tel Nof Air Base for a routine training flight. Once airborne, the crew spotted a flock of pelicans flying in their direction and changed their course so not to collide with the birds.
Unfortunately, five pelicans still hit the aircraft, with some hitting the F-15's engines directly. The jet's right engine sustained some damage but remained operational, while its left engine caught on fire and malfunctioned.
The crew was able to land safely at Tel Nof. The inquiry found that the two were able to land and exit the aircraft within 50 seconds of the engine catching fire.
Eight jet engines stolen from Israeli F-15 and F-16 jets
I don't recall seeing this one in any Israeli media (Hat Tip: Sunlight).
Someone has apparently managed to steal eight, yes, eight retired Pratt & Whitney F100 fighter jet engines that power F-15s and F-16s from an Israeli air base, according to an AFP article.
How on Earth did this happen in one of the world’s most security-conscious nations? I mean, each engine weighs several tons and requires a serious truck to move them. Can anyone say inside job? For now, the IAF is saying the engines were likely stolen for scrap metal. I mean, the F100 isn’t exactly cutting edge engine tech. Heck, depending on the variant, those stolen F100s may be the version that was plagued with so many problems that it prompted the U.S. Air Force to commission GE to build its F110 as an alternate engine to the F100 in the 1980s.
The real concern here isn’t the technology in the engines being stolen, it’s the fact that the IAF (or at least units at that base) is so corrupt that eight jet engines were stolen in plain view. You can’t exactly sneak them out of a hangar in your pocket.
With delivery of the F-35 joint strike fighter being delayed - possibly to as far out as 2018 - Israel is planning to upgrade some of its F-15's and F-16's, and to buy an entire squadron of used F-15's from the United States.
Due to the delays, the IDF is working on a plan that includes upgrading its current fleet of legendary F-15s and F-16s that it had planned on phasing out, as well as the procurement of a squadron of used F-15s from the USAF that will serve as a “gap filler” for the IAF until the JSF arrives, now expected as late as 2018.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
