Quote:
Originally Posted by elysiantraveller
The F35 can already do that.
Its electronics suite is built for full battlefield integration so it can quarterback its own operations.
Neat vid.
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I haven't been following the project too closely, but I understand the F-35 has some problems.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politic...f-35-problems/
I find the military rather amazing at times - some programs are so expensive and complex, and some just keep trucking along - like the B-52, all of which are older than me except the H models.
When I was in the USAF in 1982, the F-20 Tigershark seemed like a better idea over the F-16, as the Eastern Bloc and Communist threats were always able to bring the numbers into battle and overwhelm the superior Western technology. In some ways, that scenario is still in play, with the current and potential enemies of the U.S. putting far more cost effective solutions on the field, as well as less complex and more reliable ones. The F-35, the Littoral Combat Ship, aircraft carrier vulnerability the the latest Russian cruise missiles, etc., all indicate that a real shooting war may be a real problem for the U.S.
And if the economy goes downhill, we know that politicians like a good war for diverting attention...
