5 Ways to Replace the F-35 Stealth Fighter (If Donald Trump Kills It)

[rangerrebew]

5 Ways to Replace the F-35 Stealth Fighter (If Donald Trump Kills It)
[1]
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Maybe we just build new F-22s?
TNI Staff [2]

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter might just be the most controversial American weapons program of all time—and for good reason.

The fighter, with a total cost coming in at $1 Trillion over its lifespan, promises game changing capabilities, but has had its share of setbacks and technical challenges over the years. And now, the program is under attack by President-elect Trump. Yikes.

So can the program be replaced? What would be the alternatives? For example, could we just build more F-22s? Or maybe make more 4th generation fighters? How about just more drones and forget the whole manned fighter concept?

Back in 2014, frequent TNI contributor Robert Farley pondered this question. We have posted his ideas below for your reading pleasure once again.

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Source URL (retrieved on December 14, 2016): http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/5-ways-replace-the-f-35-stealth-fighter-if-donald-trump-18716

[SZonian]

I notice that pundits and detractors of the F35 like to omit some key facts about the program when using the $1T figure about the cost...

Thousands of aircraft and 60+ years (lifespan)...

So I'll posit this...

The F117 program was considered one of the most successful procurement programs in USAF history.

But it was done in complete secrecy.

The concept demonstrators both crashed...
The F117 had a rudder design issue, almost lost an aircraft when one rudder departed in flight...
Stability issues with the undersized rudders caused serious handling problems, new rudders were designed...
Lost a few aircraft and pilots in the early phases of the program...
Some aircraft suffered serious damage due to mishaps...

And yet, the program was NOT cancelled.  We worked through the problems and fixed them.

Yet, the F35, with the exception of the engine rub issue (P&W design failure) that cost us an airframe over 2 years ago (I guess that's "recent"), has not had the problems the F117 had. 

Deficiencies in design are expected to be uncovered during flight testing.  It's why they're tested.

But, by, all accounts, the F35 is "a piece of $hit" and needs to be cancelled. 

In closing, the F35 is not a purebred "fighter"...it's a STRIKE aircraft with capabilities that far exceed the F22 and legacy fighters that have been pressed into service as strike aircraft.

It's an F117 replacement that is not a one trick pony like the F117.  But some folks just can't get that through their heads or are duplicitously ignoring these facts in order to constantly and consistently malign the aircraft.

SMH...