I think the design for USS ford cvn class was only small changes compared to Nimitz. (different elevator, nuclear plant, island, ect…)
Even with crew reductions, the crew is still more than 4,000 men, which is enormous.

Current plan for layout of USS Gerald Ford CVN-78:

Note that you need to indicate which USS Ford you are speaking of, as there is a USS Ford (FFG-54), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, which is named for Gunner’s Mate Patrick O. Ford (1942–1968). Ford was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism as a patrol river boatman in the Vietnam War.

Marines are not getting EA-18G’s.

Not as currently planned, but I expect Obama will slow down the production rate of the F-35, forcing a temporary replacement (due to aging of the remaining EA-6Bs) before the USMC completes its conversion to “all-F-35B”. The EA-18Gs will then transfer to the USN or USAF.

The most credible theory I have heard was simply that the plane was sabotaged.

Many “popular histories” in the US & UK dismiss the P-40 as “ok for 1941, but out-of-date and outclassed by the beginning of 1943. Tolerable for the start of the war, but should not have been in front-line service past late 1942”.

Similar things are said about the Hurricane, and the F4F Wildcat.

In fact, I have been reading and looking at aviation books since the early 1970s, and it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I learned that the F4F stayed in service with the USN and RN past the beginning of 1944 (actually, in front-line service through the end of the war)!

The more technical sources that tend to focus on flight-test data have the same regrettable fascination with the “mid-war” generation of fighters… F6F, F4U, P-38(G+), P-51, all-cannon Spitfires, Typhoon/Tempest, etc.

Only such places as these discussion boards and books that focus on operational use and value give them the credit they deserve.

P-39 anyone?

The Allison/RR TF41 is an improved non-afterburning Spey… and produced 14,500-15,000 lb.s.t. in the A-7D/E… with virtually the same dimensions as the Spey used in AMX. They were in production well before AMX began its design phase.

The TF41-A-1 for the USAF’s A-7Ds was in production in 1968, with the USN’s TF41-A-2 shortly after.

It is, however, some 700 lb heavier and 7 inches longer… but the 31% power increase would be well worth it.
Just that nasty US export-use license to get.

I think you’ll find that the price for F-35 included the offset created by Norway’s share of manufacturing work… their parts will be on all 1,000+ (more like 2,000+ in reality) F-35s sold to anyone… that’s a lot of return to lower what is being paid out.

Additionally, this is part of an actual spreading out of aircraft design & build capability across the Western world, caused by the “multi-national production” aspects of both the F-16 and F-35 programs.

It is due to this that a number of nations have any military-aircraft-related industry at all!

Unfortunately for India, Russia is not as economically weak as it was a few years ago – thanks to the petro dollars – and is quickly turning into a strategic competitor to US.

Unfortunately for Russia, there are far fewer “petro dollars” flowing into its treasury.

They seem to have set their budgets to depend on a price of $70 per barrel… thinking to be more cautious than Iran, who budgeted for raking in $90+ per barrel.

The boom price of ~$170 was short-lived, and is now only in the low $50 range… so Russia is now hurting economically.

What will be the situation a few years from now, we can’t say… but it won’t be as rosy for Russia as it was a few months ago, I guarantee.