As detailed in the video, I think there's a risk it doesn't get built. Using a combination of higher end weapons, palletized weapons delivery, Loyal Wingmen and a flow down of 6th Gen tech to the F-35 (such as the Adaptive Cycle Engine) is starting to look both cheaper and more effective. Even if they build the F-47, it's not looking like they will build as many as planned.
The video provides a really good view into the macro debate going on in the fighter community. Everybody looks at drones. Very few are paying attention to how the new class of weapons are changing Force Design and procurement. It's been part of the reason to question the utility of the Wedgetail. How do you defend an HVA against a saturation attack of long range hypersonic datalinked AAMs?
But sure, it will be heavily NOFORN. And possibly so will flowed down tech. We can see hint of this with the radar divergence. This is why, it's really best to start planning the exit from the US Weapons sphere in areas where they can't/won't share.
I understand they still have a few A+ models flying. A couple of years ago they went though the older models with lower hours to make it through to 2030.
I understand they still have a few A+ models flying. A couple of years ago they went though the older models with lower hours to make it through to 2030.
Oh I have no faith in the F-47 or Boeing in the fighter category at this point, they laid off a lot of the MDD fighter engineers prior to, and as you pointed out they don’t have a history in Gen 5. So they did their best to steal Skunkworks folks and other ways to copy LocMarls homework.
Awarding contracts based on renderings is a fools errand to me, I don’t think it is actually more cost effective to the USG either as opposed to awarding down select R&D contracts to 2-3 players.
The last A+ were used by one of the Reserve Sustainment units out of Mirimar and flew the last one in 2024.
I thought they were still flying them.
I remember they had pulled some of their low hour A/C/D models out of the yard to help when the F35 was not delivered on time.
There was a bit of a scramble to find some of the electronic boxs for them as a Canadian Company had bought every spare part they could to keep their supply going for their customers.
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