Bad News for the Super Hornet

Irregular-War Focus May Sap Other U.S. Programs
By DEFENSE NEWS STAFF
Published: 18 Feb 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT)
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As U.S. defense planners draft a 2010 budget, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has instructed a Pentagon task force to list weapon programs that might be killed or curtailed so that more money can be spent on irregular warfare.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-22 Raptor stealth fighter are among two programs likely to be trimmed or killed, a leading defense analyst told Defense News. (Defense Department)

An outline of the 2010 budget request is expected next week, but details are likely to remain in flux until April.

Defense analyst Loren Thompson said Gates aims to shift up to $17 billion from current weapon programs.

A Capitol Hill source said that figure sounded high for irregular warfare, but acknowledged that he was aware of such an effort.

Weapons ranging from aircraft to ships to Army systems may be on the chopping block.

F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft and F-22 Raptor stealth fighters are likely to be trimmed or killed, said Thompson of the Lexington Institute. DDG 51 destroyers and an amphibious assault ship may also be sacrificed.

An industry official disagreed that DDG 51 is in jeopardy.

Thompson said the Army’s Future Combat Systems program is another potential target. And spending on missile defense is likely to be cut from $9.4 billion to $7.5 billion.

The goal is to hold the Pentagon’s 2010 budget to $524 billion, Thompson said Feb. 18.

Gates is determined to “rebalance” the U.S. military’s priorities so that more attention – and funding – is paid to irregular warfare, the analyst said. Such sectors as linguistics, special operations and intelligence would benefit from the shift.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3954204&c=AME&s=TOP

Yes it does. And I am sure it handles very well and will be a very capable fighter in its MK2 form. I just think we have to be objective while reading pilot comments, espeically when there is no competiton for the said fighter.

all the test pilots at AeroIndia are PAID EMPLOYEES of their particular companies..they’d be sacked if they didn’t say good things about their particular jets to the press and public. Not so with NFTC test pilots who are as it is only voicing their opinion to someone in private, not to the press or general public.

besides, there is a difference between an aircraft being a “joy to fly” and its developed capabilities for a particular role- that is the difference that is causing the IAF to ask for a Mk.2 variant, so its capabilities fulfill all the ASR requirements.

the Su-30K/MK was an interim step for the IAF, but its capabilities didn’t approach that of the current Su-30MKI..so does that mean that the Su-30MK was a dud as far as flying was concerned because the IAF didn’t order more of that type? the answer to anyone with a little bit of common sense is NO. the Su-30MKI improved on the K/MK on both its aerodynamic front and its sensor/capabilities front and the IAF would not settle for limited capability for a multi-role type in order to fill numbers.

the LCA Mk.2 is the equivalent of the Su-30MKI Phase.3 capability. that is when the Su-30MKI met all its ASRs and that is when the LCA will meet all its ASRs.

yeah right..these are pilots who’ve flown Mirages, MiG-29s and Su-30s in IAF service, so they know what they’ve comparing against when it comes to flight characteristics. the Test pilot commented that the LCA responds very quickly to pilot inputs and its a characteristic of its FCS. those guys know what they’re talking about when they compare it and make a comment. if they don’t like the way the Tejas flies, they will not make a comment on it in private- as simple as that, unless you’re claiming they’re liars- the reason is that they’re NOT PAID by HAL or ADA to say good things about the Tejas. and if the IAF is not happy with the Tejas, it would go the HF-24 Marut route, which is basically into oblivion. on the contrary, there is a renewed interest from the IAF in an indigenous MCA as well as a Mk.2 variant, obviously based on the speeding up of the program and some positive experiences with the LCA as far as the IAF is concerned.

While I support the LCA programme whole heatedly there is nothing cutting edge there. The design is indigenous but you cannot say the quad redundant digital fbw was first implemented on the LCA. It is all good and may exceed all Aircraft in the IAF stables. Which to be fair are mostly Russian, the only modern Western aircraft is the Mirage 2000, even that is not up to the latest standards at the moment. May be when they fly the typhoon, Rafale or SH they may not be in as much awe over the LCA.

The Pilots flying the Tejas regardless of which force they are from are still Indians and they will always say nice things about the Tejas. Which is not saying that the Tejas is not a joy to fly (i wudnt know it prolly is).

why are they not likely to say otherwise ? its like saying that whatever pilots say is always tinged by nationalistic fervour since they’re obviously not being paid to say that (unlike corporate test pilots, whose job is to make that aircraft look attractive for sales)..

I’ll remember to bring this claim up everytime someone says a particular pilot said somethng good about his aircraft. going by the same yardstick, we should use a pinch of salt whenever a pilot from the country of its development praises the Typhoon, Rafale, F-16, F-18, F-22 or any other aircraft for that matter.

India only has one company/firm making planes that is ADA/HAL. In the U.S you have a few, but if you have seen interviews of Aero India and other airshows, the U.S Navy/Boeing Test pilots will say Super Hornet is a joy to fly and big up its capabilities. So will the Lockheed testpilots flying the F 16.

In Aero India 2007 the MiG 35 pilots claimed that their jet gave near Fifth gen capability.

Indian pilots whether test pilots, AF pilots or Navy pilots are always going to say nice things about the Tejas. If it was that good in tis current form IAF would have inducted it in large numbers instead of asking them to come up with the MK2.

Its normal and natural. :rolleyes:

I don’t agree. In this particular case, the Test pilots are tasked with the development of the aircraft, and are looking at it from a customer’s POV, which tends to be more critical than the supplier’s POV. if the Tejas is not a joy to fly, they won’t say it is, because they are representing a tough customer in the IAF, not a development agency like the ADA or HAL.

Customer POV. They have no choice if they want to go Indian they have to go for HAL. If we had two companies coming up with two jets for trials, then the pilot remarks can be taken more seriously.

Also if you take Tejas in its finished form to a foriegn competition and when their pilots say Tejas handles awesome then that really means something.

Ankush spitfire has a point. The Tejas may well be a joy to fly. But the IAF pilots are not likely to say otherwise. I am sure thats all he meant.

The delay of Meteor is a big blow to the Eurofighter. Now it can only come with American strings in the form of AMRAAM