Not really a cockup as such, they know the direction things need to be heading by the 2020 focus, CVF, new GP frigates etc. The problem is till 2015 we’re somehow shackled to Afghanistan, despite the fact its been bleeding us dry for nearly the last 10 years. It puts a heavy bias on the Infantry and supporting them for the next 4 years rather than allowing for a true ballanced and affordable force structure, so the other elements not directly associated with that operation have had to bare the brunt of the cutting.

To be honest they need to grow a pair and admit they can no longer afford to maintain forces in Afghanistan and we are pulling out ASAP, rather than wait till 2015 when we do pull out and we review and revise our force structure in line with what we want to be capable of doing.

I do find it anoying that the Pundits use the CVF contract as an example of the poor MOD procurement process without putting it into its correct context.

Yes the previous Governemnt did make a hash of the Naval ship procurement program:- halved the Type 45 program when it was costed around 12 ships rather than the 6 actually ordered, delayed CVF main gate approval for years, left the next gen frigate program in the limbo of repeated project definition programs, cancelled MARS after getting the bid proposals in, and finally forcing the ship yards to merge together into one entity before placing the carrier order.
Thus the CVF contract was made rock hard because the shipyards had been left bruised & battered and at the mercy of an administration prone to cancelling projects regardless of the consequences !.

What really surprises me (or maybe it does not really) is the fact that the Navy pilot does not mention any increment in flight performance to speak about. Instead he says: The thrust is good, and there’s no indication that the F-35 has only one engine, instead of two like on the Super Hornet. This claim is not consistent with the widespread belief that the F-35 accelerates like a clean F-16 Block 50.

I mean, if a jock has riden a Lexus (F/A-18) for years and now he suddenly gets to test something that allegedly rides like a Lambo (better than F-16), wouldn’t he mention “tremendous acceleration and flight performance increase” in the first place?

In my head it indicates that despite the monster engine the F-35 “only” flies like the Bug. Which is good, but still leagues away from Rafale or Typhoon. My 0.02 only..

Don’t forget this was his first flight in the First and only flying F-35C which is still in the early stages of its flight testing. He was conducting a preset fully monitored test flight rather than taking it for a spin so he can hardly make such evaluations on performance just yet. Plus with the F-35B i thinks its still restricted until those fixes have been implemented.

We won’t hear those sort of stories till the flight testing is completed and the Naval test pilots get their aircraft to evaluate and develop the pilots manual for the aircraft

two things.

the F35C is still the way the RN will go, and there is nothing to suggest that will change, because as has been stated earlier the UK doesn’t need then until 2020 odd anyway.

Don’t forget thats just based on the 2010 SDSR & Defence Review, partially to enable the Invincible Class and the Harriers to be decommissioned as there os no need for continuity with the CVF & F-35B.

However those dates are based on current geo-political situation and the fact our focus will be primarily on Afghanistan till the full withdrawal in 2015.

It doesn’t take into account that the Tornado fleet currently required to support Afghanistan operations will need another major refit if they are to last until replaced by F-35C.

It also doesn’t take into account any major geo-political changes that may happen in the next 10 years. It only took 3 months for the then politically stable North African states to start to boil over or implode in one form or another. The same is occuring in some of the Arab states and were starting to hear of rising prices across the globe as crops suffer through weather extremes and the pressures of population boom in the new economies give rise to greater competition for whats left.

Thus the hoped for window of relative stability hoped for in the SDSR/Defence review could well end up being shattered in the first 10 months let alone 10 years !!, as they have no idea how events will eventually turn out !.

Thus they did leave that concession open in the defence review which is why Fox stated they may look for a new MPA to replace Nimrod should the need arise when the scrapping started last month, i think you’ll find the same goes for the JCA, if we need something sooner and cheaper then that will be the case.

navalised typhoon don’t seem a good idea for many reasons (some of these explained right in this very topic a bit earlier)

Considering the politics play a major role in combat aircraft acquisition (much more than the aircraft itself anyway), BAe can propose a navalised BAC Lightning if they like… providing good political support in the “buying country”, they’ll sell it, even if it’s nowhere near todays fighters in many areas

They did the Warton heritage section even offer the reprinted brochure of the Naval VG lightning

So, any details about this new “post-F-35” aircraft?

Or it just “what we would like is something kinda like this” talk?

No there is a USN long term requirement for a Super Hornet replacement circa 2030. Still in early concept studies as yet but i think there was some speculative artwrok from Boeing in Flight last year.

Getting Super Hornet just a few years eariler than the F-35. Would hardly be worth it……….

That depends on how knackered your Hornet/Harrier is, you guys need to remember that these hold ups on the F-35 development is putting full scale production back, sure customers will get token aircraft for flight testing and intergration towards the end of this decade, but serious delivery in number of fully capable aircraft isn’t going to happen till the next decade !. There is going to be a large number of lagacy aircraft expiring their usefulness before their replacements can be delivered !. Note Gates topped up the USN Superbugs and refurbished some the USMC hornets as result of the current delays, what happens if their are any further issue ?

Why would the USMC want a 4.5 Generation Fighter. When it could have a more capable 5th Generation Type???

Becuase it could get the 4.5 generation aircraft now to replace its worn out 3rd generation aircraft or have to wait another 8-10 years to start getting the 5th generation aircraft. I know they are getting some of their C’s revamped to cover the delays but if the B is eventually cancelled then they will need to devise a plan B and they will likely switch some of the requirement to F-18E/F to get a quicker delivery to allow their legacy aircraft to be withdrawn.