Former UK Defense Chief Calls F-35 One Of The Biggest Duds In History
Former UK Defense Chief Calls F-35 One Of The Biggest Duds In History
Former UK Defense Chief Calls F-35 One Of The Biggest Duds In History
Jonah Bennett
1:53 PM 05/12/2015
The F-35 has had a difficult time with reputation management in the United States, and it isn’t doing so well internationally, either.
“You could argue it was already one of the biggest white elephants in history a long time ago,” Nick Harvey, the U.K.’s armed forces minister from 2010 to 2012, said, according to The Independent. But countries still find themselves lining up to place orders. The U.K. is looking to purchase almost 140 of Lockheed-Martin’s F-35s— the largest international order so far.
For Harvey, the idea that the F-35 will be combat-ready by 2018 is absurd. On whether the deadline will be respected, the former head of the Ministry of Defense said, “not a cat in hell’s chance.”
Budget documents up to this point indicate that the Department of Defense intends to spend $11 billion for an additional 57 F-35s in the next fiscal year. Despite delays, cost overruns and the threat that the F-35 won’t be able to provide crucial capabilities, the amount represents an increase from the $8.6 billion allocated for 38 F-35s this year.
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Why is he so pissed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Queen_Elizabeth_%28R08%29
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of aircraft carrier, the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy and capable of carrying up to forty aircraft. She was named by Queen Elizabeth II on 4 July 2014 and is scheduled to commission in early 2017, with initial operational capability from 2020. Her first Commanding Officer is to be Commodore Jerry Kyd, the former captain of HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious.[9]
Unlike most large carriers she is not fitted with catapults and arrestor wires and is instead designed to operate V/STOL aircraft; her air wing will typically consist of F-35B Lightning II fighter-bombers and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare. The design emphasises flexibility, with accommodation for 250 Royal Marines and the ability to support them with attack helicopters and troop transports up to Chinook size and larger. She is the second Royal Navy vessel to bear the name HMS Queen Elizabeth and is to be based at HMNB Portsmouth.[10]
Aircraft
The two members of the Queen Elizabeth class (her sister ship being HMS Prince of Wales) are each expected to be capable of carrying forty aircraft, a maximum of thirty-six F-35s and four helicopters.[23] The 2010 SDSR anticipated the routine deployment of twelve F-35Bs, but a typical warload will be 24 F-35Bs and some helicopters.[7] These could be a Maritime Force Protection package of nine anti-submarine Merlin HM2 and five Merlin Crowsnest for airborne early warning; alternatively a Littoral Manoeuvre package could include a mix of RAF Chinooks, Army Apaches, Merlin HC4 and Wildcat HM2.[7] As of September 2013 six landing spots are planned, but the deck could be marked out for the operation of ten medium helicopters at once, allowing the lift of a company of 250 troops.[7] The hangars are designed for CH-47 Chinook operations without blade folding and the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, whilst the aircraft lifts can accommodate two Chinooks with unfolded blades.[24]
And to top it off the MOD doubled-down on the F-35.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Prince_of_Wales_%28R09%29
HMS Prince of Wales is the second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier under construction for the Royal Navy, with plans for active service from 2020. She is the eighth Royal Navy ship to have the title HMS Prince of Wales. Construction of the ship began in 2011 at Rosyth Dockyard.
Unlike most large carriers she is not fitted with catapults and arrestor wires and is instead designed to operate V/STOL aircraft; the ship will carry up to 40 F-35B Lightning II fighter-bombers; and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare. The design emphasises flexibility, with accommodation for 250 Royal Marines and the ability to support them with attack helicopters and troop transports up to Chinook size and larger.[9][dead link]
Design and construction
The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are unique among world aircraft carriers in having two islands, the forward one housing the main bridge for ship control and the aft island is for air control.
The original 2008 design envisaged flying Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) jets from a ski-jump ramp. The 2010 SDSR called for the UK to buy conventional take-off F-35C jets and to convert Prince of Wales to a CATOBAR configuration, but this proved too expensive. So in May 2012 the Government announced that the (STOVL) F-35B variant would be purchased instead and the carrier will now be completed with a "ski-jump".[11]
The Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2010 declared that the UK needed only one carrier, but penalty clauses in the contract meant that cancelling the second vessel was more expensive than building it. So the SDSR directed that the second carrier should be built and then either mothballed or sold.[12] More recently the RN's 2012/13 yearbook stated "both carriers are likely to be commissioned and may even be capable of operating together".[13] It was announced in 2014 that the carrier will be brought into service rather than sold off or mothballed.[14] Under current plans Prince of Wales will be commissioned in 2020.[2]
At a press conference on 5 September 2014, following the NATO summit in Wales, the Prime Minister announced that HMS Prince of Wales will be brought into service alongside HMS Queen Elizabeth, ending years of uncertainty surrounding the future of the second carrier.[15]
The Prince of Wales is being assembled at Rosyth from 52 blocks built by six shipyards around the UK. Construction began on 26 May 2011 with the first steel being cut at Govan shipyard by Dr Liam Fox.[1]
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Money is a big deal in the UK, they're looking at cutting the British Army down to 60,000.
= new reply since forum marked as read
