Why the F-35 Lightning II Might be the Most Expensive Military Aircraft Mistake Ever

Is the F35 Joint Strike Fighter Program The Most Expensive Military Aircraft Mistake Ever Made? We examine the most Ambitious, Expensive, and Controversial Military Program in History.

The US military is the most powerful in the world; on land, sea, and air.

But when it comes to the air, they have a big problem: an aging fleet of aircraft spanning multiple platforms across 3 branches of the military.

Their answer? The Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft Program. The most ambitious, expensive, and controversial military program in history.

We’re talking about replacing the F-16, the A-10 Warthog, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, and the AV-8 Harrier, among others.

And not only would it have to meet the needs of the Navy, Air Force, & Marines, but also appeal to foreign militaries around the world.

It all sounds good on paper, but the reality has left some wondering if this grand unifying philosophy was a huge mistake, and whether they bit off more than they could chew.

As far back as the late 1980’s, the JSF program was conceived as a way to replace multiple aircraft with a single base aircraft that had 3 variants, each with their own technical requirements.

The F35A Air Force variant would be for Conventional Takeoff & Landing, stealthy capabilities, and intended primarily for Air to Air Dogfighting & Close Air Support

The F35B Marine variant would be for Short Takeoff & Vertical Landing and intended primarily for Attack Missions, and the ability to take off and land with no air strip.

And the F35C Navy variant would require foldable wingtips, carrier takeoff and landing capabilities, and intended primarily for Attack and Fighter Missions.

And whenever you have a design by committee across multiple branches of the military, there are bound to be some compromises, especially when trying to combine several aircraft roles into one do-it-all “Marvel Jet”.

And let's not forget about the so-called "Budget Death Spiral".

In order to keep the cost per plane low, Lockheed needs to produce and sell a lot of aircraft. But if the defense budget shrinks, and the government cuts orders, the price of each plane goes up.

And when the price of the plane goes up, you guessed it, the government cuts more orders, and this cycle typically keeps repeating itself until you have very few planes on hand, and you have spent a butt-load of cash.

But all the technical & financial controversies are not even close to the whole story. There is something more powerful at play here: The Military Industrial Complex.

But what does it really mean in layman’s terms?

Simply put, it’s the working relationship between 3 entities: The Military, Arms Manufacturers, and the Government.

But another very important layer to this relationship is not an entity. It’s the Economy. And it’s a very tasty carrot on the stick of this seedy, thick-as-thieves arrangement, dangling in front of politicians.

In the case of Lockheed Martin, they have spread out F35 part manufacturing over 46 states and 9 foreign countries, with a total of some 1300 suppliers, creating upwards of 150,000 jobs in the United States alone.

But they didn’t do this for manufacturing logistics or efficiency reasons, regardless of what they might say publicly. Instead, Lockheed has gotten very good at what is called Political Engineering.

This crafty, bipartisan-friendly strategy makes it very hard for Senators or Congressmen, be it Democrat or Republican, to oppose the program, because that would risk losing jobs for their constituents, and ultimately jeopardize their re-election hopes. That whole Power thing is Mighty Powerful.

Mix in the fact that you have 3 branches of the Military invested in a single program, and canceling it becomes a near impossibility.

And that is why the F35 Joint Strike Fighter program cannot be stopped, and why the program has been dubbed “Too Big to Fail” and “Too Big to Kill”.

The F-35 is rolling off the assembly line as we speak.

Some pilots will hate it, some will love it, and some will just learn to live with it.

Despite what the extreme talking heads say, it’s not a terrible plane, nor is it the best that could have been purpose built for each branch of the military.

Instead, it’s an expensive, all-in-one solution that has compromises; some expected, some not. And it’s here to stay.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twobitaviation
Visit our Website: http://www.twobitdavinci.com
Socials: @TwoBitDaVinci
F-35 Model:
https://geni.us/F-35_Model

Видео Why the F-35 Lightning II Might be the Most Expensive Military Aircraft Mistake Ever канала Project Da Vinci