Hops – Nobody is arguing that PCW funding cuts slowed down or stopped time. Because that would be stupid and only some people around here are stupid.

Now, are you arguing that top-down budget decisions can’t slow down a defense project? Because if so, maybe you could explain your theory of how that can’t happen, or why it is exactly the same as some hypothetical child, a hypothetical puddle and hypothetical shoelaces.

Newsflash: The end of the Cold War had a massive impact on defense planning and anyone who denies this is an imbecile or a liar.

Nobody, not even the most vociferous critics of the MIC, argues that the reduction in F-22 or B-2 numbers, after contract award, was solely driven by higher-than-expected acquisition and operating costs, but somehow JSF fans feel able to ignore the impact of PCW changes on Rafale or Typhoon (where the Germans wobbled for several years on the entire program as reunification took effect).

France joined the ECF program in 1979 (laying the roots of the Rafale), which is roughly analogous to the CALF.

Tosh. Utter tosh. CALF was a hardware program. If you want to play that (extremely silly) game you can say that JSF started with the UK/US ASTOVL project in 1986, with far more credibility.

First Rafale prototype ordered 1988/First F-35 begins production 2003

Obviously, those are not comparable events. And equally obviously, you ignore the political/fiscal perturbations of the end of the Cold War (because they blow the remains of your miserable case out of the water).

F-35 fans, shills and marketing pukes have blamed its delays on everything from the Freemasons to global warming and the flight test mafia. Fact is, the program has run up delays and overruns on a monster scale with no budget cuts, and no requirement changes except in the program’s favor.

BTW – I’m not arguing that Raf could have met its 1988 schedule given enough money. I don’t know the answer to that (not sure that anyone does).

You would think asserting that fighters require compromises wouldn’t be controversial, but for a few here it is a totally unacceptable where their favorite plane is concerned.

:D:D:D

More to the point: AETD is actually the only route to improving the performance of the F-35 because the normal fighter evolutionary path (more thrust and more payload) isn’t readily available without external loads.

There’s also the possibility that it could alleviate some of the cooling issues.

However, the next question is whether there is an impact on weight/performance/cost of an AETD engine if it also has to deliver 20MW of shaft power, and whether you would want to do that.

Right, Tu-22M – as far as I know MS21 includes everything integrated through MS20. There may be some gradual integration as the new jet enters service, just as a matter of training and squadron formation, but the first delivered JAS 39E will be fully multi-role from the hardware and software angle. And as the photo shows, the major aero differences (bigger tanks, extra belly pylons) started flying some time ago.

Madrat – You’re right. 120-plus F-35s have been delivered. How many of them are operational? (Isn’t that some kind of a record in itself?)

It’s interesting to see the Gripen E/F characterized as an unknown quantity, given that the S/W is the 21st evolution of a fully operational system, much of the weapon integration is essentially done, 1000+ F414s have been delivered and the aero configuration is modestly different from the C/D.