That has turned into one of the most useful political tools ever made.
For all its flaws, it’s an aircraft that when it showed up to the first Red Flag training series, it flew against the best fighter pilots and aircraft in the western world racking up a 78:1 kill ratio.
The cost has come down on A models, flight availability has risen, and costs per airframe are dropping as costing and maintenance costs reduce.
It’s got problems. It has lord of problems. It’s got a reputation as a failure of a program from the early 2Ks, but it is in reality the most successful political military program ever created. Every. Single. One. Of NATO countries want them, but just need to figure out how to buy them. 16 countries we want able to integrate and work closely with us have them in order or are flying them.
They offer capabilities simply not possible with any other aircraft, and quarterback the battle space with sensor integration from inputs across all aircraft, radars, and it’s own sensors. This gets pushed out to every other data linked aircraft in the battle space.
The F-35 is an incredible and continually getting better program.
The A-10 Warthog. A plane that is immensely useful as long as your enemy doesn’t have planes of their own, air defense, shoulder-fired weapons or machine guns.
ROFL, the A-10 is the most successful close air support aircraft ever. It was kept flying for 20+ years past it’s retirement age with everyone trying to kill it (leadership and Congress) because nothing can come close to doing what it can.
You want a failure look at the F-22 being retired without ever seeing combat despite there being active wars. It was too expensive and too unreliable.
the A-10 is the most successful close air support aircraft ever.
Yes, because America’s enemies during that time didn’t have planes of their own, air defense, shoulder-fired weapons or machine guns.
What they had was old AK’s, Soviet artillery shells filled with fertilizer, Casio watches and Nokia phones. (Oh, and they won.)
So the navy has the Littoral ships, the army has the Bradley (watch the movie Pentagon Wars), so what does the airforce have?
The Bradley thing was way overblown and The Pentagon Wars didn’t really happen that way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gOGHdZDmEk
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=2gOGHdZDmEk
https://piped.video/watch?v=2gOGHdZDmEk
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
I knew it would be Lazerpig even before clicking. You’re doing good work looking that.
The F-35 program.
That has turned into one of the most useful political tools ever made.
For all its flaws, it’s an aircraft that when it showed up to the first Red Flag training series, it flew against the best fighter pilots and aircraft in the western world racking up a 78:1 kill ratio.
The cost has come down on A models, flight availability has risen, and costs per airframe are dropping as costing and maintenance costs reduce.
It’s got problems. It has lord of problems. It’s got a reputation as a failure of a program from the early 2Ks, but it is in reality the most successful political military program ever created. Every. Single. One. Of NATO countries want them, but just need to figure out how to buy them. 16 countries we want able to integrate and work closely with us have them in order or are flying them.
They offer capabilities simply not possible with any other aircraft, and quarterback the battle space with sensor integration from inputs across all aircraft, radars, and it’s own sensors. This gets pushed out to every other data linked aircraft in the battle space.
The F-35 is an incredible and continually getting better program.
@gibmiser
@tintory
Where do we start …
https://media.istockphoto.com/id/516368486/photo/office-worker-unrolling-long-sheet.webp
The A-10 Warthog. A plane that is immensely useful as long as your enemy doesn’t have planes of their own, air defense, shoulder-fired weapons or machine guns.
ROFL, the A-10 is the most successful close air support aircraft ever. It was kept flying for 20+ years past it’s retirement age with everyone trying to kill it (leadership and Congress) because nothing can come close to doing what it can.
You want a failure look at the F-22 being retired without ever seeing combat despite there being active wars. It was too expensive and too unreliable.
Tell that to the unarmed balloons shot down earlier this year!
When was it retired? I thought it was still in service.
Yes, because America’s enemies during that time didn’t have planes of their own, air defense, shoulder-fired weapons or machine guns.
What they had was old AK’s, Soviet artillery shells filled with fertilizer, Casio watches and Nokia phones. (Oh, and they won.)
You’re wrong but I’m gonna let the Pig school you
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=WWfsz5R6irs
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
This is the same plane that supposedly couldn’t continuously fire its gun for too long because it would overpower the engines?
I thought it was over stressing the airframe
Yes, and that’s also coincidentally the same plane with the highest number of friendly fire deaths
Wow…