This NATO Member Regrets Buying America's F-35 Stealth Fighter

[Beast]

Do you think Americans are such fools that they would induct a fighter which has high cost for themselves?

Yes, why not? For the sake of air superiority. There is no doubt F-35 is more stealthy than F-16 but to claim its operating cost is lower than F-16 is simply a joke.

China never claim the reason to induct J-20 is becos it will reduce maintenance cost compare to to other conventional fighter. The biggest reason to induct J-20 is to maintain air superiority over rival operating 4th gen or conventional fighter. Lower cost is definitely not the factor for stealth induction.

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Yes, why not? For the sake of air superiority. There is no doubt F-35 is more stealthy than F-16 but to claim its operating cost is lower than F-16 is simply a joke.

China never claim the reason to induct J-20 is becos it will reduce maintenance cost compare to to other conventional fighter. The biggest reason to induct J-20 is to maintain air superiority over rival operating 4th gen or conventional fighter. Lower cost is definitely not the factor for stealth induction.

F-35 is going to replace F-16s. As the number of F-35s increase their costs including the operational costs will also decrease due to scale of production. That's why US committed multiple partners to ensure large scale production.

 

[Beast]

F-35 is going to replace F-16s. As the number of F-35s increase their costs including the operational costs will also decrease due to scale of production. That's why US committed multiple partners to ensure large scale production.

I doubt so, given the high maintenance of stealth and heavy payload of F-16 compare to F-35. F-16 may serve for another few decades alongside F-35.

 

[Haris Ali2140]

I doubt so, given the high maintenance of stealth and heavy payload of F-16 compare to F-35. F-16 may serve for another few decades alongside F-35.

Just like F-16 will fly for almost 70 years F-35 will too.
As time moves forward technology advances and becomes cheap. Imagine todays smartphone and its cost 15 years ago.

 

[Dalit]

LOL at nationalinterest source. Even toiletpaper has more credibility.

 

[flameboard]

They should get JF-17s for low cost and local efforts. Obviously the electronics suite would have to be adjusted to communicate with NATO plans effectively.

 

[Yankee-stani]

How to make Poles buy a overated fighter jet scare them the Russians are coming lol

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

I doubt so, given the high maintenance of stealth and heavy payload of F-16 compare to F-35. F-16 may serve for another few decades alongside F-35.

The F35 can carry just as many weapons as an F16.
You aren't restricted to stealth mode 100% of the time.

 

[zectech]

Buy Saab Gripen.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ake-time-to-come-down-executive-idUSKCN1QG0D5

Lockheed expects F-35 flying costs will take time to come down: executive
Jamie Freed
AVALON, Australia (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp expects it will take around 15 to 20 years to bring the cost per flight hour of the F-35 below fourth-generation fighter jets such as the F-16, the head of the F-35 program said on Wednesday.

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Air Force F-35 flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

The U.S. Air Force, the largest global customer for the F-35, has launched a push to drive down the cost of flying and servicing F-35s to the same levels as current fighters without stealth capabilities.

Lockheed Martin Vice President and General Manager F-35 Program Greg Ulmer said there was an effort to lower the cost per flight hour to $25,000 by 2025 but further savings would take longer.

“Today it is different customer by customer but I think $35,000 per flying hour is a good number,” he told Reuters in an interview at the Australian International Airshow.

“If we project that out based on the initiatives we have in place, we believe as we move out to the 2035-2040 timeframe we can get that cost down to under what a fourth gen is today,” in the range of $20,000-25,000 per flight hour.

Initiatives involved in lowering the cost to $25,000 an hour include reducing the number of mechanics needed to support each plane, Ulmer said.

Lockheed is also looking to refine diagnostic systems to reduce false alarms as well as to ensure there are proper spare parts available for maintenance and repairs.

Lockheed Martin Vice President and General Manager Training and Logistics Services Amy Gowder said the United States had been late to install enough capacity for F-35 repairs due to delays in funding approvals.

“The U.S. has been very slow to fund that in the depots specifically like Hill Air Force Base,” she said. “They should have started those projects a few years ago.”

That was becoming increasingly problematic as more planes were added to the fleet, Gowder said.

“When you have 180 aircraft it is probably okay. Now we have 300. It is the scale of the volume increases which is why there is a concern,” she said.

“That is putting more pressure on the supply chain in the near term.”

The U.S. Air Force did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside usual business hours.

Operating costs were a big issue when military officials from the United States, Israel and F-35 user nations in Europe - Britain, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Turkey, the Netherlands - met in Germany in September last year.

Experts say the U.S. Air Force could cut back its planned purchases of the aircraft unless it can lower the flying costs.

Never mind, quite obvious to me that you have not bothered to read the OP. The cost per flying hour of the F-35 A is lower than the Typhoon and the F/A-18 SH. The cost per flying hour for the F-35A the Danes are acquiring is comparable to the F16. The F-16 is the cheapest western built fighter currently in service anywhere and the F35A’s CPFH is currently 5% higher than the F16 but projected to be lower by 2024.

And Lockheed Martin rejects your nonsense.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ake-time-to-come-down-executive-idUSKCN1QG0D5

 

[dbc]

And Lockheed Martin rejects your nonsense.

Read your own post. I highlighted the relevant text to make it easy for you.
If you don't understand English use Google Translate.

Quote taken from your post:

Lockheed Martin Vice President and General Manager F-35 Program Greg Ulmer said there was an effort to lower the cost per flight hour to $25,000 by 2025 but further savings would take longer.

F-16 D cost per flight hour USAF is $24,899

Source: DoD Authorization for Appropriations

If the math is too hard for you then go back to school but this time stay until you finish.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

Read your own post. I highlighted the relevant text to make it easy for you.
If you don't understand English use Google Translate.

Quote taken from your post:



F-16 D cost per flight hour USAF is $24,899

Source: DoD Authorization for Appropriations

If the math is too hard for you then go back to school but this time stay until you finish.

And that is obviously fantasies since it continues with:

”Today it is different customer by customer but I think $35,000 per flying hour is a good number,” he told Reuters in an interview at the Australian International Airshow.
“If we project that out based on the initiatives we have in place, we believe as we move out to the 2035-2040 timeframe we can get that cost down to under what a fourth gen is today,” in the range of $20,000-25,000 per flight hour.

35,000/25,000 = 1,4 or 40% higher for those that managed to pass basic school.
I guess You failed even that.

 

[dbc]

And that is obviously fantasies since it continues with:

”Today it is different customer by customer but I think $35,000 per flying hour is a good number,” he told Reuters in an interview at the Australian International Airshow.
“If we project that out based on the initiatives we have in place, we believe as we move out to the 2035-2040 timeframe we can get that cost down to under what a fourth gen is today,” in the range of $20,000-25,000 per flight hour.

35,000/25,000 = 1,4 or 40% higher for those that managed to pass basic school.
I guess You failed even that.

Stop quoting me and wasting my time!!!
There are three variants of the F-35 - A,B and C. I am talking about the cheapest A variant.
the CPHF for F-35A is $28,149, $35,000 is the higher CPHF for the F-35B.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

Stop quoting me and wasting my time!!!
There are three variants of the F-35 - A,B and C. I am talking about the cheapest A variant.
the CPHF for F-35A is $28,149, $35,000 is the higher CPHF for the F-35B.

Yes, You are Correct, and the Lockheed Martin employee is wrong .
As usual, You do not produce any sources.
May I remind You that 28,149/24,899 = 1,13 which is not 5%.
If You attended evening classes in math, You would get to learn about division.

And here is your lie exposed!

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/05/02/one-of-the-f-35s-cost-goals-may-be-unattainable/


One of the F-35′s cost goals may be unattainable
Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s cost assessment office doesn’t believe the F-35 program office can achieve a “stretch goal” of getting the "A" model’s cost per flying hour to $25,000 by fiscal 2025, its director said Thursday.

“The department doesn’t see a path to get to $25,000 dollars per flying hour by FY25,” said Robert Daigle, the outgoing head of the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, during a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing. “There are a fair number of studies going on right now that are going to provide some more information on that, but that’s a target and it’s not our projection for where we’re actually going to be.”

Both CAPE and the F-35 Joint Program Office arrived at similar projections for the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant’s cost per flying hour in FY24, with CAPE estimating $36,000 per hour and the JPO pegging costs at $34,000 per hour, said Daigle, who is stepping down later this month. (The two organizations did not provide an estimate for FY25, which is outside of the regular five-year budget cycle.)

Either figure would be an improvement from the FY18 rate, in which one hour of flight time in the "A" model cost about $44,000. However, the oldest F-35s will begin to move into long-term depot maintenance in the mid 2020s, causing a moderate rise in price during the later portion of the decade.

“After 2024, projections are that the cost per flight hour are going to flatten out and then increase a little bit because the planes are starting to age where you’re going to have to start bringing them back to the depot,” Daigle said.

The JPO has identified steps that it can take to boost reliability, decrease the spare parts shortage and increase the ease of maintaining the F-35, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, the F-35 program executive, told reporters after the hearing. Those factors make him confident the office can meet the FY24 projection of $34,000.

However, reaching $25,000 by FY25 is more of a “stretch goal,” he said. “That will be very, very hard to meet. But it’s FY19 right now, and we have a number of years.”