F-35 makes operational debut

[PapaPnut]

While I can't say what we make, the company I work for makes(among other things) custom parts for several systems on the F-35. Finally ready to drop it's first bomb in a full combat operations exercise. Marine Corp Squadrons operationally deployed in July and Air Force squadrons operationally deployed in August.....pretty cool plane...doubt it would fit in my garage.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the...zzfc&ocid=iehp

[AOD_nimvlar]

Sounds like you've still got time to get a bigger garage

[AOD_B.Rubble]

fun to sit off the end of the runway here and watch a few of em rotate

[rayrayblues]

They're starting to arrive here in Phoenix at Luke AFB. Gotta get out there and see them.

[AOD_Danneskjold]

I've been following the JSF program somewhat closely, and it's a catastrophe. Overweight, overpriced, and severely underperforming. It's so bad that there isn't a Generation 4 jet and some Generation 3 jets that wouldn't just walk all over it in a dogfight. Add on to that the belief that they are only ~5 years away from rendering stealth technology useless (and it wouldn't surprise me if the USA already had), and the JSF is going to be the biggest mistake of a plane since the F-111.


Add on to the fact that there are some allies in the JSF program that will be ditching it, and it just makes it an even bigger failure. Australia is about to tell the USA to get stuffed and not buy the JSF. Canada is thinking about starting building new / old Canada designed and built fighter jets for their own needs. And other countries are ditching the JSF and buying into the Russian Sukhoi PAK FA stealth fighter, which while only in development currently, far exceeds the capabilities of the JSF including in cheapness and stealth. Not to mention that China stole the designs for the F-22 and the F-35, and is basically building an F-35 clone that is better than what we are doing.

[PapaPnut]

The program. or any modern weapons system program, has certainly experience significant problems. After many years involved in the development of classified programs, there is a huge gap between publicly available information and rumor in the press and the truth. The proof will come in the air

[Javafox]

Java and his "other" aviation superiority references... always.

Although It has not seen combat, yet.

This has nothing to do where the plane was made. This has to do with the amount of time and money wasted on this project. And dont throw my name around like it's some joke to you.

[AOD_nimvlar]

Let's keep things civil here.

[jackeled]

My personal feelings is that American military superiority is declining due to the farking politicians and their damm corruption and lobby groups . America needs a good leader and government that can just take control and make decisions without interferences from the damm corrupt senators and congressmen.(Alot of them are backed by mutiple defence companies and lobby groups)

[Rakkasan240b]

The F-35 is a joke. As for the Air Force, it has a good inventory that has been proven to work. However; with what the Air Force was trying to do (replace the A-10). That is a large pile of horse manure. There is not one air craft in the current arsenal that can provide the CAS that the A-10 does. That plane maybe old, but it can take a beating, and give it back. I would love to see a F-35 "low and slow" gun run, receive fire back, loose half a wing and part of its tail section. Then return to base. It will never be a reliable Air to Ground support aircraft for ground troops. As a prior grunt. I would rather have a F-15 provide CAS, than that POS.