The Pentagon has a motto for its next-generation attack jet, the Joint Strike Fighter: “Lethal, Survivable, Supportable, Affordable.” But the military may want to think about modifying that a bit, now that each JSF is going to cost $82.1 million, according to Defense News. Just a few months ago, the head of the JSF program, Rear Admiral Steven Enewold, told me that the most expensive variant of the plane would come in at about $60 million.
The JSF is designed to replace everything from Harrier jump jets to F-16s to Super Hornets with a single class of fighter. At a projected $256 billion, it’s already the most expensive weapons program in Pentagon history.
But the fighter makes sense in today’s increasingly-tight budgets, RADM Enewold said, because the stealthy JSF not only could beat the air defenses of the future — it could knock out guerilla hideouts, too.
But that fiscal logic, he acknowledged, hinged on keeping the cost per plane down. Otherwise, sending this high-performance jet after insurgents would be like putting out a fire with Dom Perignon. Even before the latest price jump, the Government Accountability Office, Congress investigational arm, called the JSFs original business plan “unexecutable.” Wonder what they’ll say about the program now?
UPDATE 9:10 AM: Here’s some more budget news, all courtesy of Inside Defense:
* Army committed to troop cuts
* Operating costs could ground laser jet
* Rail gun not ready ’til 2020
* 2008 deadline for Future Combat Systems?
UPDATE 2:05 PM: This is huge, if it holds up. I’m guessing it won’t. A House subcommittee has passed legislation to limit the DD(X) destroyer program “to just two ships,” Defense News says.
Rising DD(X) costs have prompted Congress to cut the program repeatedly, from as many as 30 ships planned in the late 1990s to just seven this year. Originally, the ships were supposed to cost about $1 billion each. Last year, the Navy said it could build them for $3.3 billion apiece, but independent estimates put the price at $4 billion or more per ship.
The plan to halt the DD(X) buy at two would leave the Navy with a pair of ships that would serve mainly as demonstration models for a new generation of guided missile cruisers that would be built using the same hull.
I don’t understand the logic behind the F-22, when we have the F-35 coming up in 3 different variations.
I don’t understand the logic behind either of these white elephants, when robotic aircraft are becoming cheaper and more capable all the time.
Of course, I keep getting hung up on semantics, and actually take the ‘defense’ establishment at its word when they say it’s all for security. That’s when crap like the F-22 and the JSF and missile defense seem hard to justify. If only I could learn to appreciate their *real* missions — funneling money into various well-connected pockets. Then I could give a heartfelt, “Huzzah! Well done, boys!”
The F-35 is your grunt, your ground-pounder. it’ll spend 90% of its time loaded with bombs and providing medium strike or close-air-support. It’s stealthy enough to make it harder to kill. It comes in 3 variants becuase the AF uses Big Runways at longer-range, the Navy uses smaller runways as close far from the shitstorm as they can get away with, and Marines use a postage stamp from about 10 feet away.
The F-22 is your sniper. He goes in and zaps the bad guy’s airforce, cruise missiles, and whatever else gets in their crosshairs while never being seen himself. He’s there to pave the way so that the F-35 can do the slog-work.
Does all that mean alot invading Iraq? hell no, Iraq’s airforce was less menacing than the Civil Air patrol. But against someone with SU-33s, or Rafales, or god-forbid Typhoons, and an air-defense net designed to soak up HARMs while still blotting our toys out of the sky, we’ll be damned glad to have them.
ONE OF THE BIG REASON’S SOME OF THESE AIRCRAFT,
SHIPS, AND OTHER HARDWARE KEEPS ESCALATING IN
PRICE. EVERY CONGRESSCRITTER WHOSE DISTRICT HAS
A COMPETITOR MANUFACTURER SAYS “THAT PLANE ISN’T
NEEDED LETS STUDY & SEE IF WE CAN GET IT CHEAPER?
“HOPEFULLY FROM MY CONSTITUENT” THEN THEY KEEP
CUTTING QUANTITY. THE RESEARCH & INFRASTRUCTURE
OR TOOLING TO BUILD MUCH OF THIS DOES NOT CHANGE.
SO MUCH OF THE COST IS FIXED. WHEN YOU REDUCE NUMBERS. THE COST FOR EACH ITEM RISES. ADD IN THE
SKYROCKETING FUEL COSTS & IT JUST GETS BIGGER.
AT LEAST THE F22 IS FLYING IN OPERATIONAL FORM.
THE F35 MAY NEVER DO SO. I AM AFRAID IT IS BEING
ASKED TO MEET TOO MANY TASKS. ALSO YOU NEVER GET
AN AIRCRAFT TO PERFORM PERFECTLY UNTIL YOU BUILD
A FEW. IN WW2 THE P51 HAD TO GO TO THE D MODEL TO
REALLY BECOME THE EFFECTIVE WEAPONS SYSTEM IT BECAME. AND THERE WERE A COUPLE OF LATER MODELS
THAT TRULY REALIZED ITS POTENTIAL. SAME FOR P47,
P38, ETC. ITS THE SAME FOR SHIPS, TANKS, ETC.
THE COMANCHE HELICOPTER WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO
EXPENSIVE IF IT WASN’T STUDIED TO DEATH. THE
ARGUMENT THAT ROBOT AIRCRAFT, ETC. ARE FULLY CAPABLE AT THIS POINT. I THINK THERE WILL NEVER
TOTALLY BE A TIME WHEN A HUMAN EYE/BRAIN WILL
NOT BE CRITICALLY NECESSARY IN MANY COMBAT
SITUATIONS. AS A LAST DITCH SAFEGUARD ANYWAY.
Good news on the DD(X), if it holds up. I’ve said in the past that DD(x) is to the point where it should be made into a tech run like the SeaWolf-class subs and have its tech carried over into CG(x) and a more cost-effective DD program. I still think SPY-3 and AGS on a Burke hull would work, especially with manning reductions, etc.
Easy on the caps lock, Vick.
I’m beginning to suspect the UK will never get its F-35s. Oh well, back to drawing board..
I find it hard to believe the F-22 is just going to go in, zap whatever and return unseen. That no radar or combination of radars will remain incapable of finding the F-22, if in fact this isn’t already true. And don’t we wish it costs a wimpy 80 or 90 million, instead of the 200 million it does?
Like the billion(s) dollar ballistic missile interceptor which hasn’t intercepeted a missile, in tests, in four years! Don’t the Russians have a short and medium ballistic defense right now? One that really does work?
Sincerely,
HP Bradish,
Austin, Tx.
1. I do agree that the costs are way high, but I wonder if the companies might be getting what they can now in case of a major change in the leadership of the US, ie, Democrats takeover including the White House.
2. I do not believe that UAV’s are to the point that they can do the bulk of combat air sorties.
3. I doubt that enough F-22 & JSF would ever be built to completely replace all the F-16/AV-8/A-10 and whatever else. Some of those airframes will be overhauled to continue on in service.
Disclaimer: I retired from the Navy and work for a large, US defense contractor
Actually “doing it the Seawolf way” was a BAD idea. The Virginias are less capable a MORE expensive per unit than the Seawolfs. Nobody seems to “get” that the way you keep cost down is to do large runs of a few types. Three Seawolfs, a half dozen or so Virginias and who knows how many el cheapos the next design in line (which are suppose to be cheaper than the Virginias but will end up costing more)is going to be WAY more expensive in the end than if we’d just stuck with the Seawolfs. Every time you do a new design you get to spend another big chunk of R&D money. It’s all there in black and white but can you get a politician to understand that? Hell no because they’re not interested in buying weapon systems economically they’re interested in buying votes.
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I don’t understand the logic behind the F-22, when we have the F-35 coming up in 3 different variations
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