Re: Ditch it already
>Oh sure - THEY'RE the ones we should be worrying about.
Whether you like it or not, and whether it is useful or not in that role, the F35 is intended for real high intensity warfare against top tier opponents. One of its primary selling points being its stealth, which is absent in gen 4 fighters.
The F35 is designed against China/Russia, no one else. In fact, I'd wager it's just China, Russia was probably presumed to be friendly/inoffensive in the near future when F35 was in initial design stages.
Against our current insurgency/terrorists enemies, these planes are totally useless. They lack armor & survivability, fly much too fast (thus mistaking wedding celebrations for things to bomb), cost way too much, don't have the loiter duration needed and might not put up well with really dusty conditions a la Afghanistan.
Until we hopefully sort out a peaceful transition to China being the superpower, it might be worthwhile to not lose track of a possible full-on war against a capable high tech opponent. The F35 was intended for that role. I am actually discounting Russia, they don't have the budgetary oomph to field enough 5th gen aircraft to be more than a nuisance. Much as Putin likes to be a nuisance.
One drawback however is that a full-scale deployment of F35, especially at current cost trends, sends a clear message to China about Western containment intentions. After all, they are IMHO the only really credible reason for this not-yet-flying pig. Bit like the German High Fleet buildup pre-WWI doing its best to prod Britain into more confrontational policies towards Germany.
So the more we bleed our budgets to pay for F35 that don't actually work, the more we signal China that they need to up-arm as well. I am rather hoping we'll all be singing kumbaya together in 30 years, not getting into a new Cold War with China (which unlike the USSR is already real economic power). But I am not misty-eyed about Chinese intentions either - their South China Sea territorial claims do not augur much good.
It might be more prudent to develop the ability to field a 6th gen airplane on medium/short notice, rather than fielding it outright. Both to avoid triggering a new arms race and because right now we won't have any way to fund the replacement to the F35 if it is actually bought at scale. We might need that replacement because a) it doesn't work or b) the threat has changed - think lasers or air combat drones effecting a "battleship moment" against them.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
