The only way to make anything correctly and competitive is to choose nations who partner on the program, and send an RFP to different european manufacturers.. with firm requirements and a neutral way to estimate the compliance (if you just say everybody vote as you feel, you’ll have every nation choosing the one that gives them the most work, despite it being more or les appropriate.. that’s european politics). once a design has been chosen, they participate and pay for the development made by the winning bidder and that’s it… forget about making several production facilities that’ll negate any economy of scale…

Agree to the basic principle — however it is highly unlikely this will happen.

European defence industry should consolidate. They should arrange a 3-way competition between Airbus, Saab and Dassault for the future fighter; and do similar competition for other main weapons systems, e.g., future main battle tank. Europe is not big enough to support so many independent vendors.

If France joined, it might also replace the French fighter jet, the Rafale, when that becomes obsolete in 2030, Handelsblatt said.

https://euobserver.com/economic/138193

Rafale obsolete in 2030?

Ahem… I don’t think so.

But does this imply that the Germans will consider Typhoon to be obsolete in 2030? Oforr are the Germans just grossly underestimating the French fighter program? (for whatever reason?)

It explains why the UK has joined the TF-X program.

I don’t think so…

The UK may join Japan instead…

There are a couple plausible things he might have been referring to… either while accelerating in AB it is easy to push the plane supersonic without intending to, or perhaps if the F-35 is cruising at high subsonic and goes into a dive it can inadvertently go supersonic.

Good points — my brain was not working properly…

In either case it shows the F-35 doesn’t struggle to go supersonic.

Indeed.

The machine is so “smooth” that we must make new F-35 pilots specially aware of this. The F-35 will slip into a higher speed if you do not pay attention. That’s why it’s not uncommon that a pilot without meaning to do so ends up in supersonic speed!

Google translated from: https://nettsteder.regjeringen.no/kampfly/2017/06/02/f-35-og-luft-til-luft-rollen/

Hmm — does this not imply that the F-35 can potentially (and easiliy) go supersonic without using afterburner?

Another snippet:

I have been introduced to “El Gato” during the fall when he learned to fly F-35 with us. “Gato” is an experienced F / A-18 pilot who has gone through the weapons schools of both the US Marine Corps and the US Navy, also known as Top Gun. Let me quote El Gato, after his first flight in F-35A: “… it flies like a hornet, but with four engines …”. (In comparison, the F-18 usually has two engines). Or to quote one of my Italian colleagues, after his first taste of F-35: “I did not think performance like this was possible.” (Thus, in a positive sense.)

I wonder what the Italian pilot had been flying previously!?

In any case, there is no doubt that the F-35 will deliver on it’s promises, in all roles (including a2a). What an incredible machine.

If Trump survives the next 4 years in WH it will significantly increase the probability of Germany increasing defence spending significantly… it will also increase the probability of Germany wanting to build capacities independent of the US… Together with Brexit it will also increase the push for a common EU defence structure; this in combination with France realizing that they will not be able to go it alone after Rafale, implies that Germany and France will aim to build a new manned a/c to replace Typhoon and Rafale. No doubt F-35 will replace at least some of the Tornadoes in Germany. But what will replace the Typhoon and Rafale? It could be F-35 but most likely they will try to develop their own plane.

What can kill this is of course the politicians — they will need to give more than what they are willing to (in terms of workshare), which could easily lead to another flop like the Typhoon.

Sweden may join them (unless they develop their own 5. gen with Brazil and/or India).