not making light of a serious thing ... 7

[rb1957]

from flight …
"US Marine Corps F-35B and KC-130J collide and crash" …

oops … what'll that cost the taxpayer ?

another day in paradise, or is paradise one day closer ?

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

that was a dirty bastard war it wasn't a conflict.

I was trained by the guys that were on the ground.

The medals list that was chopped by the padre was quite substantial.

Most of the people kill were young children conscripts. I don't know any UK armed forces people, even the screwed up infantry types that take any sort of job satisfaction out of that one.

Please don't go there.

 

[Sparweb]

It's probably obvious to most that I didn't mean my comment to laugh at the dead, but it's important to be cautious to be respectful. If so, I didn't choose my words carefully enough. The Falklands War always impresses upon me how ridiculous war can be. Ridicule can be appropriate in both tragedy and in comedy. The FW deserves both.

http://www.sparweb.ca

 

[dik]

It was a real silly conflict, in particular to die for... almost reminds me of the anecdote about two bald guys arguing over a comb...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?
-Dik

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Some of you might like this book.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VFF9QXY/

Rick Jolly did my medical for me years ago. Lovely funny bloke.

 

[zeusfaber]

also wrote Jackspeak - which helped make my transition to the maritime world slightly less confusing.

 

[rb1957]

I prefer the term "sailish" (for the jargon of sailing)

another day in paradise, or is paradise one day closer ?

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Nah the Royal Navy have a separate lingo. And the Royals have another one which is sort of the same but with differences. I know sailing one but if you have to work with the royals its a big learning curve. Its not just calling the toilets the heads. And some of the terminology changes after lunch. And it has a smattering of cockney slang thrown in.

 

[JohnRBaker]

A bit of an update on the F-35 and it's dubious future, or for that matter, any future at all:

The US Air Force Quietly Admits the F-35 Is a Failure

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/320295-the-us-air-force-quietly-admits-the-f-35-is-a-failure

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[thebard3]

If you consider 'failing to achieve it's goals' as synonymous with failure, then you can apply that to many DOD projects, notably the Ford class aircraft carrier, and LCS class ships (I cite these examples because I'm more familiar with them). I'd tend to agree that the F35 has an abysmal history and future outlook. The exorbitant price doesn't help.

Brad Waybright

The more you know, the more you know you don't know.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

My mates all reckon that the A10 is still best bang for buck out there for recent hostility

 

[IRstuff]

The use of the term "goals" is unclear; certainly, the readiness fraction ostensibly is a requirement, not a goal. Failing to achieve the required readiness is, at the minimum, a serious vulnerability. Inability to fire its main gun without damaging itself is crazy, although the Apache was able to eventually work its way through a bad recoil problem with its chain gun that would shake the entire helicopter, when firing to the side

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529 Entire Forum list

http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

 

[IRstuff]

The Warthog, per its name, is like a flying tank with serious teeth

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529 Entire Forum list

http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

 

[JohnRBaker]

Yes, but the proponents of the F-35 first had to get the A-10 removed from service, which they tried for years, but that old 'Warthog' is just too good to let go. While many of them have been taken out of service and a good number have been rotated to Reserve units, it's still technically part of our at least tactical forces.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Eufalconimorph]

"flexible, effective, and relatively affordable" Choose one out of three. They picked flexible.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Usually you can have TWO out of three. They barely got one, and in retrospect, I think it was the only one of the three that was really available to them.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Comcokid]

"Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War" - I read this book several years ago, and it gave insight to the internal politics of the Pentagon. The book was written before the Air Force tried to get rid of the A10, or began building the F35. I will sum this up as follows:

New programs build the careers of high ranking officers. The more expensive the program the greater the career boost.

Existing well-operating programs build nobody's career. As such they are a target for a new program so new careers can be built.

I've seen the same principal with executives in large corporations.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Its the same with the Royal Airforce in the UK.

Half the issue is that its single seat fast jet pilots that tend to run the show so unless something can go super sonic they are not interested.

The warthog seems to hit all three requirements on the head for ground grunt support. The amount of damage they can take as well and still fly is impressive.

 

[dik]

I understand the warthog was almost as indestructable as the Dakota DC-3...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

The pilots love them. They sit in a titanium bath. A mate of mine did a exchange tour with the US on them. He said he pitied the poor F16 driver who got to fly his Tornado going the other way.