For F-35, Congress must heed history

[rangerrebew]

For F-35, Congress must heed history
By Gen. Philip Breedlove, Air Force (Ret.)
 May 22, 2024, 12:26 PM
 
An F-35A Lightning II performs a strafing run over Barry M. Goldwater Range, Ariz., April 24, 2024. (Airman 1st Class Mason Hargrove/Air Force)
History serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of neglecting air superiority, a mistake America must not repeat with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as it did with the F-22 Raptor.

In 2009, the F-22 program was abruptly cancelled after the production of only 187 aircraft — a quarter of the originally planned 750 fighters. This short-sighted decision left the U.S. Air Force with a diminished capacity to maintain air superiority in the face of evolving threats from the major military adversaries, China and Russia.


Created as America’s premier air superiority fighter, the F-22′s stealth capabilities, speed, and agility were designed to dominate any adversary. However, ongoing fiscal concerns and a miscalculation of the evolving capabilities of our adversaries led to its early termination.

Today, we are at a crossroads with the F-35. Some in Congress are threatening further cuts to the F-35 program due to budgetary pressures and delays in software upgrades known as Block 4/Technical Refresh 3.

We cannot let history repeat itself.

https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/2024/05/22/for-f-35-congress-must-heed-history/

[PeteS in CA]

Gutting or short-funding the US military has been a Dem Tradition for almost a century. The Congress Critters who do it NEVER pay for their foolishness with their own blood or tears, US military personnel and their families always do.