[quote]Leaked documents from a Pentagon budget review suggest that the agency is tired of its costly [URL="http://www.defencetalk.com/tag/f-35/"]F-35[/URL] [URL="http://www.defencetalk.com/tag/fighter-aircraft/"]fighter[/URL] jets, and has thoughts about canceling the $391.2 billion program that has already expanded into 10 foreign countries.Pentagon officials held a briefing on Wednesday in which they mapped out ways to manage the $500 billion in automated budget cuts required over the next decade. A slideshow laid out a number of suggestions and exposed the Pentagon’s frustration with its F-35 jets, which are designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. based out of Bethesda, Md. The agency also suggested scrapping plans for a new stealthy, long-range bomber, attendees of the briefing told Reuters.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke to reporters on Wednesday and indicated that the Pentagon might have to decide between a “much smaller force” and a decade-long “holiday” from modernizing weapons systems and technology.
Pentagon briefing slides indicated that a decision to maintain a larger military “could result in the cancellation of the $392 billion Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 program and a new stealthy, long-range bomber,” Reuters reports.
When officials familiar with the budget review leaked the news about the F-35s, the agency tried to downplay its alleged intentions.
The F-35 program is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapon system. A fleet of 2,443 aircraft has an estimated price tag of $391.2 billion, which is up 68 percent from the projected costs measured in 2001. Earlier this year, [URL="http://www.defencetalk.com/tag/air-force/"]Air Force[/URL] Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 program manager, condemned the manufacturer for “trying to squeeze every nickel” out of the Department of Defense.
Read more: [URL]http://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-considers-cancelling-f-35-program-48653/#ixzz2b1rW4MpD[/URL][/quote]
Honestly, it should have been cancelled well before it hit the 391 billion dollar mark.
Why not just give them a deadline and stick to it? Scrap it after that.
[QUOTE=bravehat;41711389]Honestly, it should have been cancelled well before it hit the 391 billion dollar mark.[/QUOTE]
That money could've fed africa for forever
[QUOTE=DrDevil;41711417]That money could've fed africa for forever[/QUOTE]
Fuck that, it could of fed our own people, and pretty much all of NATO for a few years.
That money could of been used for veteran care centers.
Think of the shit NASA could of done with that money.
As badass and as awesome of an aircraft that is, it's a huge money sink and if they can't meet their goals with the extreme budget increases we gave them, then there is no reason to keep it around
[QUOTE=Aide;41711439]That money could of been used for veteran care centers.[/QUOTE]
That money could've been given to me.
where do we get all this money
[QUOTE=MasterBlock;41711474]where do we get all this money[/QUOTE]
Most likely we siphoned it from other places (or elsewhere in the defense budget)
Thank god.
[QUOTE=DrDevil;41711417]That money could've fed africa for forever[/QUOTE]
This has never been tried ever
I'd rather it went towards our education system or infrastructure or more useful scientific endeavors than jets
All of NASA would have shat itself at once if they got that money
Nearly $400 billion.
That's about $1260 per US citizen.
Can you imagine what would happen if the government had given everyone $1260 instead of blowing it all on this shit?
Just imagine if they'd put it into the economy rather than on a money sink.
[QUOTE=Dr.Critic;41711459]Think of the shit NASA could of done with that money.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Forumaster;41711604]Nearly $400 billion.
That's about $1260 per US citizen.
[/QUOTE]
NASA's budget is 1/2 of 1 penny on every taxed dollar. NASA would've done backflips if they got $1200 donation from every person in the country.
[editline]4th August 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=markg06;41711626]Just imagine if they'd put it into the economy rather than on a money sink.[/QUOTE]
R&D is apart of the economy, bud
$400 billion is a lot of money
[QUOTE=Forumaster;41711604]Nearly $400 billion.
That's about $1260 per US citizen.
Can you imagine what would happen if the government had given everyone $1260 instead of blowing it all on this shit?[/QUOTE]
A fucking disaster. 20% wouldn't give a shit and the other 80% would get drunk as fuck or buy guns and pot.
I hope they don't cancel it because after all of the money that has been put into it, cancelling it before it can come to fruition would be a huge mistake. Cutting a program like this would be very short sighted in my mind. What happens in the future when requirements for a program similar to the F-35 is ordered? Cancelling the program before it can produce the amount of planes ordered (2,443) would be devaluing huge amounts of resources spent in the R&D phase of the program. I would hate to see the F-35 go the way of the F-22 where only a very small proportion of the proposed aircraft were produced.
I hope they don't cancel the work on the research, just the project itself. The technology on it is absolutely amazing. The HUD removes your cockpit and allows you to literally look through the plane.
Jesus christ how fucking amazing is that!
they are honestly too deep into it to cancel it without it being a stupid decision. either way its a stupid decision
I think this article is worth a read for everyone who thinks that cancelling the program in this advanced of a stage is a good idea. [url]http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2011/12/19/how-to-waste-100-billion-weapons-that-didnt-work-out/2/[/url]
Looking at the cost of the F-35 program in a vacuum is kind of silly considering it is intended to replace aging F-15s, F-16s, and F/A-18s whose maintenance costs continue to steadily rise, and is intended to earn some money back through export. If we don't replace our existing aircraft then those costs are still going to exist. It's not like we'll be saving money by going ahead with the F-35, but it's also not like all the money earmarked for the F-35 program can be put into humanitarian efforts if it's canceled.
I wouldn't be sad to see the program cancelled, or at least stopped at a much smaller fleet of aircraft. We don't need stealth fighters for CAS against insurgents in the Middle East, we already have stealth bombers, and we already have the best air superiority fighter in the world. The F-35 is unnecessary corporate welfare program for Lockheed that diverts hundreds of billions of dollars away from our real problems, and irregardless of the money we've already sunk into it, we need to stop giving Lockheed more money.
The F-22 was good enough anyways, we could've used that ~$400b for a moon base or you know, a [U]manned[/U] mars mission.
[QUOTE=catbarf;41711787]Looking at the cost of the F-35 program in a vacuum is kind of silly considering it is intended to replace aging F-15s, F-16s, and F/A-18s whose maintenance costs continue to steadily rise, and is intended to earn some money back through export. If we don't replace our existing aircraft then those costs are still going to exist. It's not like we'll be saving money by going ahead with the F-35, but it's also not like all the money earmarked for the F-35 program can be put into humanitarian efforts if it's canceled.[/QUOTE]
The fact the F-35 hasn't fallen to politics' short sighted budget outlook (ignoring the sunk costs of equipment THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ANYWAY) is something short of amazing.
[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;41712193]The F-22 was good enough anyways, we could've used that ~$400b for a moon base or you know, a [U]manned[/U] mars mission.[/QUOTE]
Could have built a interstellar space ship...
I love the plane and its a masterful work of engineering, but really, 400 [I]billion [/I]dollars?
The F-35 tried to be a A-10, F-16, F-15, and a host of other aircraft in one package. The idea was good but it quickly became a disaster that threw cash on the pyre.
They could have built metal gear rex with that kind of money
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