There is also the potential legal liability of being included as a party in lawsuits brought over dissatisfaction with a purchase of an item sold via such a section.

This HAS happened to magazines that hosted that kind of a section, as some courts have held that the magazine is expected to make a reasonable effort to prevent fraudulent sales and sales of illegal goods.

This would mean that Key would have to check out each person placing an item for sale, as well as the item. You can see how that would cost them a considerable sum.

Ingalls Wins $1.3 Bn for CVN-79 Carrier.

Pentagon Contract Announcement

So the sole qualified bidder “wins” the contract?

Nonsense…
It was an expensive aircraft for a small country…and its timing was wrong.
The US stood to make money if the program continued…the avionics (the expensive bits) were contracted t a US maker..Hughes, IIRC.
The “US is afraid of competition” conspiracy might have held water IF the US went ahead with an advanced interceptor…but like the UK 1957 White paper, most folks assumed the days of manned interceptor were numbered.
The USAF only bought a relative few of its F-106.

I can’t think of an all-new post-Arrow purpose-built interceptor fielded by the west. Like the F-35, or Phantom or Torando…multi-role aircraft became the norm.

Really, this forum has gone downhill since the older experts left. All we seem to get now is schoolboy conspiracy theories.

I’m really not a “US killed Arrow” conspiracist, I tend strongly to the “too much for Canada but it would have succeeded with full US or UK backing” point-of-view.

However, there IS this little factoid:
Yes, the Arrow was cancelled 20 February 1959 but this was before the September 1959 cancellation of the North American XF-108 Rapier.

In the late 1950s the United States Air Force (USAF) sought a replacement for its F-106 Delta Dart interceptor. As part of the Long Range Interceptor Experimental (LRI,X) program, the North American XF-108 Rapier, an interceptor with Mach 3 speed, was selected. However, the F-108 program was canceled by the Department of Defense in September 1959.

During this time, Lockheed’s Skunk Works was developing the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under the Oxcart program. Kelly Johnson, the head of Skunk Works, proposed to build a version of the A-12 named AF-12 by the company; the USAF ordered three AF-12s in mid-1960.

The AF-12s took the seventh through ninth slots on the A-12 assembly line; these were designated as YF-12A interceptors. The first YF-12A flew on 7 August 1963.

On 14 May 1965 the Air Force placed a production order for 93 F-12Bs for its Air Defense Command (ADC). However, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara would not release the funding for three consecutive years due to Vietnam War costs. Updated intelligence placed a lower priority on defense of the continental US, so the F-12B was deemed no longer needed. Then in January 1968, the F-12B program was officially ended.

Nothing there that LCS can’t have a module set made for (even the 8xHarpoon class ASM & tactical VLS for 32 ESSM-class missile – 4xMk41 would do). Even the same 57mm gun and 2xtwin 30mm set that everyone criticizes as inadequate.

A bit more survivable hull, twice the crew, and a lot slower.

The same aircraft features in this thread started 5 days ago by the same poster (note the same metal structure in the background).

ID was established there as well.

Yes one would think so! One should not forget that the principle reason the ‘Attack Experimental’ (AX) – A-10 program was followed through (even then to the protest of the USAF, who was infatuated with massive ‘fast movers’ like the Republic F-105), was because the US Army literally said to the USAF and Congress – ‘if you don’t give us this specialised aircraft our grunts need, we’ll have no choice but to acquire our own ‘fixed wing’ close support aircraft (aka the US Army’s comprehensive evaluation of the Fiat G.91R/3, Douglas A4D-2N Skyhawk and Northrop N-156F for the roles of organic FAC (Forward Air Control), tactical reconnaissance and CAS), regardless of the Key West Agreement (1947)’
It should also not be forgotten that with the USAF’s lukewarm agreement to go ahead with the ‘Attack Experimental’ (AX) – A-10 program. The US Army would forego the drive for their “Advanced Aerial Fire Support System’ (AAFSS), launched by the U.S. Army in 1964 with the intention of providing all ‘an army attack helicopter high-performance specialized in fire support.”

Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne.
http://www.helis.com/60s/h_h56.php

Note that the AH-56 was named the winner in March 1966, production past the initial 10 ordered in January 1968 was postponed in 1969, and final cancellation was in August 1972.

The USAF had, in November 1965, ordered a USAF-specific variant of the A-7 Corsair II – to the point of specifying a variant of the Rolls-Royce Spey engine (RR-Allison TF41) in place of the TF30 of the USN’s A-7s (the USN followed by ordering the A-7E with the TF41). The A-7D flew in 1968, and entered service in 1970. The USAF first deployed the A-7D to Vietnam in October 1972.

One thing I will say, not being an expert or anything, is that the I’m somewhat weary of such reports. The USAF (and for that matter all U.S military services) can be very productive in criticism about a weapons system/platform they neither want or deems as needing ‘urgent’ replacing. As already mentioned the USAF has been hell bent on the demise and letter withdrawal of the A-10, even before it was built, let alone put into operational service. Hell they even pushed for the acquisition of their nemeses service – the USN’s LTV A-7F Corsair to replace the ‘specialised’ A-10. Even though the evaluation of both aircraft proved once again that the A-10 was the better aircraft for the job!

The YA-7F Strikefighter project was initiated in June 1985, first flew in November 1989, and was cancelled in 1990, with the two prototypes (converted A-7Ds) sent to museums in 1991.

http://www.doc8643.com/aircraft/RTA4

Designated variously RTA4, RTAF-4, and Trainer Type 17.

The RAF supports students doing free research and evaluations in an area they have no budget for.

Whether they will do anything with the results is a completely separate and different matter.