rmnldr

That’s fascinating. So use of Signal was fine? So the problem is just the journalist being in the chat?

It being revealed to a journalist in an insecure chat about when a carrier is commencing flight ops is a big fricking deal.

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but it is a stretch to claim the F35 routinely beats the F22. If this were true, it would be more talked about, as those responsible for the F35 would have every incentive to advertise it. The F22 is superior in every aspect of air to air combat. This is partly why we won’t sell the F22 to foreign nations, despite them being on the record as desiring it.

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It's rare that they ever go against each other anyway. When they do, the F-35 snipes the F-22 BVR with its better sensors. If the 22 can close in and make it a dog fight it'll win every time. But make no mistake, the 35 has killed the 22 plenty. What's truly beautiful is seeing the 35 and 22 work together.

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I stated in terms of money spent vs goals achieved, it is a failure, and I stand by that. No program in the Air Force’s history has experienced more cost overruns and problems.

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Except that no one actually thinks it's a failure. It's actually a smashing success. I guarantee you that no one who has gone against the 35 thinks it's a failure.

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To be honest, we are in an age where he who has the best radar wins so it’s all sort of beside the point.

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And this is how I know you don't know what you're talking about. The fact that the 35 doesn't have to rely on its radar is one of the reasons why it's so successful. The 22 while possessing a powerful radar suite gets pistol-whipped in long range because it lacks the sensor suite the 35 has.

ETA: Maybe pistol-whipped is a little harsh. And I should give more credit to the 35 WVR. The 35 can shoot from any angle due to the helmet and sensor setup which is a huge advantage. I will say that the 22 still has the better stealth characteristics but it's very very hard to hide from the 35's sensors and is just as hard to detect as the 22 when it's completely passive, something the 22 can't do unless it has support.

The VTOL model was wanted by more than just the marines so I’m not sure why he’s pinning it all on them. Italy, Japan, UK, and Singapore all want/have them. It’s still useful and it gives real teeth for our amphibious groups in both air superiority, CAS, interdiction, C2, and EW/ELINT, something that no other platform could deliver upon. You’re basically freeing up CSGs.

ETA: and to expand, on Head’s point about ARGs not operating solo and needing carrier air - I’m pretty sure that was the point of getting a VTOL variant - so that the amphibious groups could operate with some level of autonomy without needing to be babysat by navy air. It’s never going to be the same level of capability as an entire carrier’s wing but it’s something akin to the escort carriers during WWII. Anything to free up the CSG helps. Now they’re trying to do the same with the destroyer fleet to free them up with the constellation and they’ve royally fricked it up.

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Why spend on a new programs when 70% of your planes can't fly?

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This is a BS statistic. 30% mission capability was a historic low point for the entire fleet. The A model always has had higher MC up to 50% which is similar to the raptor. This doesn’t mean they can’t fly it just means they’re awaiting parts or routine maintenance to make them fully capable to current standards which could be as simple as a software update to something as complex as repairing the stealth coating or an engine rebuild. It’s still a new platform and some squadrons are already achieving 70% MC which is comparable to other platforms like the F-16.

The F-35 is completely fine and is the finest fighter jet in the entire world. It’s also noteworthy that it’s Lockheed and not Boeing.

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It 100% is not the best fighter in the world. Best AI? Sure.

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It is. 100%. Nothing outmatches it.

Kill the Houthis.

Don’t start a war with Iran directly.

It’s that simple.

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So, we can flip a switch and HiMARS becomes non-functional? I wonder if we told that to the other countries who bought it.

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Not quite. We’re removing their targeting which was being handled by American air and satellite assets (likely SOF ground as well but that’s hush hush). They don’t have the ability to feed their missile systems with accurate targeting data now.

American ELINT, satellite, and other recon/intelligence aircraft is what saved Ukraine when the war started. Without our command and control assets, Kiev would have fallen and the war would be over.

Everything about World at War seemed like it was different than the earlier CoD titles outside of actual gameplay. The rest were about honor and bravery and had uplifting patriotic sounding music. The first time I fired it up, saw that intro, and heard the menu music I was a bit freaked out and I knew it was going to try to capture the horrors of war. Luckily for my still developing mind it didn’t come close but they certainly nailed the aura of dread.

Darth is correct. China’s shipbuilding capacity and their rapidly expanding blue water navy is going to make the USN second rate once they gain more experience with naval air. We don’t have the capacity to catch up with them. We have advantages in technology but they’re stealing it as fast as we come up with it and in some areas they’re advancing faster.

Re-industrializing the U.S. is the #1 priority for national security.


To emphasize, we held the competition to decide what proven design would be used for FFGX in 2018ish. It was supposed to be nearly plug and play. The USN went with the French/Italian FREMM design built by Fincantieri and they would expand their shipyard at Marine Marinette to build these new frigates. The first ship should be rolling off the line next year. So far we have not one keel laid down and haven’t finished constantly changing design parameters including basic shite like hull length.

We are absolutely fricked sideways in naval procurement right now. Every ship design has been massive to moderate failure at least in the short term and we have over a century of experience in operating a blue water navy.