Video of the F-35 Getting Spanked in the Senate

[Channel 2]

Here is Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh admitting the F-35 WILL NOT replace the A-10 to Sen. McCain.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/m...ness/81267406/

Here are the other key players saying that Welsh doesn't know what he's talking about: Sen. Ayotte asking lots of tough questions, and the witnesses literally choking on their answers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es1JUKRKkJ0

My God. What a mess. IOC doesn't mean "operational," that's for sure.

[Tourist]

And you have started yet another "I hate f35" thread because?

[MSOCS]

Channel 2,

You've had most of your previous shouty posts deleted by moderators.

I'm with Tourist.

[MSOCS]

Here's some context for you C2:

McCain isn't a fan of F-35 for a number of reasons, mostly political.
His State is Arizona.
Arizona (Davis-Monthan) has a huge A-10 community and trains A-10 pilots.
Congressmen need votes and need to represent their communities.
A-10 pilots, like Vermont ANG F-16 pilots, don't want to lose their jet.

You join the dots. Oh, and you're right, the F-35A isn't IOC yet. That happens later this year after the USAF puts it through its paces in the missions it wants it to prioritise amongst the wider fleet.

Sounds like Gen Welsh wants to keep A-10 but doesn't have the resources to do so. That's actually the issue at play here.

[sandiego89]

MSOCS Here's some context for you C2:

McCain isn't a fan of F-35 for a number of reasons, mostly political.
His State is Arizona.
Arizona (Davis-Monthan) has a huge A-10 community and trains A-10 pilots.
Congressmen need votes and need to represent their communities.
A-10 pilots, like Vermont ANG F-16 pilots, don't want to lose their jet.

You join the dots..... .

Hmmm, while he may be a fan of the A-10 it is worth noting that Arizona, the state Senator McCain represents, has TWO major F-35 bases, Luke and Yuma. Luke will be a major US/International F-35 training site with 144 jets slated and Yuma will have 5 squadrons and be the main US Marine F-35B base, so surely Arizona is a major winner in the F-35 pork prize. Even Davis-Monthan is in the running to be a major reserve F-35 base. McCain does have a track record of questioning massive military over runs, and perhaps his very recent testimony of calling the F-35 a "tragedy with respect to cost, schedule and performance..." may also be part of it. The issues of cost, schedule and performance seem to be commonly brought up on this forum quite a bit- so it may not be "mostly political".....


Link to his testimony: John McCain: F-35 is 'a scandal and a tragedy' - CNNPolitics.com

[KenV]

Hmmm, while he may be a fan of the A-10 it is worth noting that Arizona, the state Senator McCain represents, has TWO major F-35 bases, Luke and Yuma.

Excellent point!! On the other hand, the F-35 is NOT going to go away. If you were a Senator from Arizona, would you not argue to keep the A-10 bases in Arizona AND the F-35 bases?

And about that F-35 "getting spanked?", you got that wrong just as you got area rule, Sears-Haack, form drag, parasitic drag, Soap Box racers, and so much more wrong. Besides praising the A-10 and its CAS abilities Sen McCain also said that the services still need the fifth-generation stealth fighter, and delaying the purchase of the fighter would exacerbate the services' modernization woes. So clearly, while McCain is an A-10 fan, he is now ALSO an F-35 fan. Of sorts. Bottom line? He wants BOTH, but the senate is unwilling to pay for both. Who is more responsible for that funding shortfall? Gen Welsh, or Sen McCain?

[KiloB]

Let's remember that McCain is a decorated ex A4 driver shot down in Vietnam. That doesn't make him either current or an expert, but he would seem to be closer to his subject than most Senators!
KB

[MSOCS]

That's why I said it's mostly political. McCain wasn't really ranting at Welsh; he was ranting at the Senate. As KenV says, the F-35 is coming and there's no stopping it. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if, prior to the hearing, Sen. McCain said to CSAF, "General, I'm going to give you a hard time today, just so you know!" Who better to put on the record as saying he'd "prefer to keep both", but we "aren't resourced for that."

<Cue congressional navel gazing>

[KenV]

McCain wasn't really ranting at Welsh; he was ranting at the Senate.

McCain started out ranting at Obama “The President should have requested a defense budget that reflects the scale and scope of the national security threats we face and the growing demands they impose on our airmen,” McCain said. “Instead, he chose to request the lowest level of defense spending authorized by last year’s budget agreement and submit a defense budget that is actually less in real dollars than last year.” Thing is the president's request is just that: a request. It's up to Congress to actually write and authorize the budget. If USAF cannot afford both aircraft, that's much more the fault of McCain and his colleagues in Congress than it is of Gen Welsh, or even of Obama. McCain is (once again) grandstanding. Hopefully it's for a good cause (a bigger defense budget) and not just for personal gain/aggrandizement. McCain has a well earned reputation for liking to have the camera on him.

[Turbine D]

Channel 2,

Video of the F-35 Getting Spanked in the Senate

The A-10 video is old news, please try to stay up-to-date. Things move fast. Go to this thread for later news. You will find it on Page#4 of Military Aviation threads. Even it is getting old:

A-X all over again - USAF pushes for A-10 replacement