Originally Posted by
Killface
I love it when bold unsubstantiated claims are countered with bold unsubstantiated claims. "no one" who thinks the JSF might actually be good could acknowledge the program had troubles?
People who are realistic about the JSF will quickly concede the procurement has been harsh nasty brutish and long. The problem I have is when people equate that to combat capability. That issue gets confused on both sides, as the JSF fans feel they must defend a horrific procurement system in order to defend the JSF's future combat virtues. I see nothing wrong with claiming the program was in dire straights and in a lot of ways still has issues ahead, but will produce a good aircraft in the end. I say this because procurement has been so messed up for so long, yet still produces capable machines despite the issues.
Thats the problem here. procurement, cost, capability, politics, etc just gets lumped into one giant messy furball and no one bothers to separate one from the other, so in a single paragraph you will get hit with a procurement issue, massive costs/delays, future fleet sustainment ("1 trillion dollars!") and then Wheeler talking about battle damage. Claiming that Wheeler doesn't know his sphincter from a hole the ground doesn't suddenly mean you think the program is a peach, and a trillion dollars to sustain a fleet of 3,000 aircraft over 50 years is excessive.
You hit the nail on the head with this post. The aircraft on the face of it seems like a dud, yet people that have access to info we don't seem to believe in the aircraft. Maybe the Lockmart marketing /and or bribery department can convince the airforce/government of Kameria that they have a wunderweapon, but to believe that the airforces of the US, UK, Australia et al are also drinking the 'kool aid' or suceptible to bribes is frankly an insult to the professionalism and integrity of these organisations and more importantly the people at the upper echelons. Armchair warriors like some on here, enthusiasts like others and even former fast jet pilots do not have access to the kind of data that making an informed decision on the relative merits of this airframe would require.
The JSF may be a compromised design due to trying to fulfil too many roles with one airframe, but it seems to be the best compromise available. Suck it up, it will succeed because too many countries cannot afford for it not to.