Critics: Time to bail on Navy JSF

[unhappycamper]

An F/A-18F Super Hornet lands aboard the carrier Nimitz on Feb. 26 in the Philippine Sea. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the service is open to buying more Super Hornets.



Critics: Time to bail on Navy JSF
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Mar 21, 2010 9:03:00 EDT

Is it the beginning of the end for the Navy’s F-35C?

A steady string of bad news for the Joint Strike Fighter program — which includes the Navy’s carrier variant — has some observers suggesting the service abandon its plans to purchase more than 300 of the fifth-generation jets to fill out the future fighter fleet.

The alternative: Continue buying F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from Boeing that have been on carrier decks for almost a decade.

“I think the Navy needs to walk away from the F-35C based on affordability concerns and continue with the Super Hornet,” said one congressional aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still being intensely debated on Capitol Hill.

Navy support for the F-35C suffered in mid-March, when Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the service is open to buying more Super Hornets. The Navy had planned to stop buying Super Hornets in 2013 with the intention of replenishing the fighter fleet with JSFs starting in 2014.


Article about this $239 million dollar wonder at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/03/navy_hornet_jsf_032110w/



unhappycamper comment: The Super Hornets cost about $70 million or so which means you can buy 3 Super Hornets and some gas for the price of one F-35.

[damyank913]

1. The math makes this a no-brainer...

The Super Hornet is a fine airplane.

[Zech Marquis The 2nd]

2. Keep the Super Hornet

It's already been in service for over a decade, proven to be a very good airplane, and the numbers don't lie when it comes to the pricetag. The F35 JSF has become a real disaster--I'd rather have more F-22s and improved F-15s for the Air Force as well...