F-35B

[Triple J]

Here's a link to an interesting F-104 article.
http://www.dcr.net/~stickmak/JOHT/joht12f-104.htm

Pretty interesting, thanks. Not surprising, as everything Kelly Johnson was involved with was extraordinary. Have you read Skunkworks by Ben Rich? I'm guessing you have, but if not get it. 

It would have been interesting to see what the F-16 could have done if the Pentagon wouldn't have partially neutered it by requiring it to have too many capabilities. I remember an argument about wing square footage from the Boyd book, where Boyd was so upset with the required increase that he basically dis-owned the airplane, even though he had been it's biggest champion. It's interesting to look at old prototype photos vs. production photos to see how bloated it became...could have been a true F-104 v.2 (even though it is still a fantastic plane).

[Raux]

the simpliest solution:

Give the A10 the CAS mission exclusively, build for carrier and rough airstrip duty and split them off to the Army and Marines.
Make the F-35 into an A-35 and drop the fighter role. sell it to e any and all takers, drop the SVTOL version
Drop the F22 and revamp the F23 into a multiservice Airsuperiority fighter with carrier capability. keep it exclusively U.S.

Work on the B52 replacement with B1 tech, russians did it, we can.

[Triple J]

Drop the F22 and revamp the F23 into a multiservice Airsuperiority fighter with carrier capability. keep it exclusively U.S.
Work on the B52 replacement with B1 tech, russians did it, we can.

The F-23 wouldn't be any cheaper than the F-22. It's just a different take on the same thing. Multi-service is part of the problem...the AF has different needs than the Navy/Marines.

B-1  Biggest POS airplane ever. Even the Pentagon didn't want it...Reagan brought it back to life after the Pentagon killed it when he became president (it was made in So. California). There hasn't ever been a good swing-wing aircraft, despite what Top Gun has led everyone to believe.

[Raux]

The F-23 wouldn't be any cheaper than the F-22. It's just a different take on the same thing. Multi-service is part of the problem...the AF has different needs than the Navy/Marines.

B-1  Biggest POS airplane ever. Even the Pentagon didn't want it...Reagan brought it back to life after the Pentagon killed it when he became president (it was made in So. California). There hasn't ever been a good swing-wing aircraft, despite what Top Gun has led everyone to believe.

the B1 has been pounding the shit out afghanistan, it can loiter awhile.

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/08/02/the-air-forces-record-breaking-b-1-deployment/

[Speeddog]

the B1 has been pounding the shit out afghanistan, it can loiter awhile.

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/08/02/the-air-forces-record-breaking-b-1-deployment/

I'm astounded that they could provide 6 months+ of round-the-clock coverage with only 400 airmen and 9 planes, using *any* plane that big and complicated.

[Triple J]

the B1 has been pounding the shit out afghanistan, it can loiter awhile.

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/08/02/the-air-forces-record-breaking-b-1-deployment/

Maybe, but it still has been an extremely expensive airplane, plagued by problems from the beginning. It's good they seem to have found a use for it.

[B.Rock]

Maybe, but it still has been an extremely expensive airplane, plagued by problems from the beginning. It's good they seem to have found a use for it.

And yet still cheaper than the F-35. That blows my mind.
Growing up near Edwards, the B-1 really is a cool plane to see fly.

[Triple J]

And yet still cheaper than the F-35. That blows my mind.
Growing up near Edwards, the B-1 really is a cool plane to see fly.

That is pretty crazy.

I like seeing them all fly as well...my dad was a firefighter at Nellis AFB, so I got to see a lot of cool planes.