Hmmm......the F35;
Just for a moment, let's suppose back at the turn of the 80's, instead of Tornado, we took the risk of buying a new, unproven fighter from the Americans, based on cutting edge technology and featuring advanced fly by wire and a futuristic cockpit, coupled with impressive aerodynamic performance.....
Now picture what our airforce could have been like during the past 30+ years if we had bought the same number of F16's as we did Tornado GRs and F3s......I dare say the image of what that would have meant in terms of capability is quite an attractive thought to many on this forum.
The F35 is the F16 of today. Yes it may seem like a white elephant at present, but then so did the F16 during its own development. If anyone thinks that we can do without the F35s capabilities in the future airborne warfare environment, they are gravely mistaken. Yes, it will probably be one of the last manned platforms we ever buy, but if we are only able to afford to run a handful of combat AC, they MUST be the best, the silver bullet option is the only one we can have if we are to survive.
Clausewitz was quite correct when he stated that "quantity has a quality all of its own.." But when you have a company of men armed with SA80s going up against a platoon of concealed snipers with Barrett .50 cals...well, I know which team I'd prefer to be on.....
