Another fantastic F-22 video

[TGS]

Meh. Don’t believe everything you read. People are having hernias due to the cost of an F-35, which is currently around $86M a copy for the USAF model. The Raptor was $160M a copy (plus about $160M per for R&D) twenty years earlier. What do you think 6th-Gen NGAD will cost? My bet is over $300M per plane, plus $300M per plane invested in R&D. I think those costs are going to be the biggest limiting factor, and will doom the project. Tough to make the threat look bad enough to justify those costs, especially in today’s political environment. Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley are not going to make this a priority compared to some of their fabulous initiatives.

And, what's funny, is the F35 cost per unit is now significantly cheaper that of the French Rafale ($120m/unit) and half the cost of a Eurofighter Typhoon ($160m USD/unit).

The cost of the F35 is almost down to that of a JAS39 Gripen E, albiet the operating cost per flight hour is a fraction on the Gripen.

So, not only is the F35 the most capable omnirole fighter on the market, but it's also actually one of the most economical. An F/A-18 Hornet cost what, ~$40m USD in the 90s? When accounting for inflation, the F35 costs about the same in 2021. A new production Super Hornet is only a few million dollars cheaper per unit than an F35, yet somehow, people have an axe to grind with it.

[Guerrero]

I know nothing about (real) fighters so I don't know what I am seeing. Those flippy turns look pretty impressive though.




Obligatory...

I don't want to derail the thread, but that "Rendezook" video made me LOL.

[Trigger]

Oh, I almost forgot. NGAD will be the size of the F-111 due to range and endurance requirements. So forget about an exciting air show jet with vectored thrust that can fly up its own asshole. The F-22 may be as good as we ever see at low-speed turning performance. It is an extremely impressive air show demo!

[Dog Guy]

I got truly spoiled by working rescue at the Reno Air Races for the last 42 years. Our rescue post used to be on the infield just behind the home pylon. The jet demonstrations used the pylon as the focal point for their maneuvers since it kept them safely away from the crowd. They were deafeningly close, and we could smell the exhaust and occasionally feel the heat from the engines. I got to see F-15, F-16, F/A-18, A-10 when they were just getting out in public. An F-15 leaving the ground and going vertical for a few thousand feet without crossing the end of the runway, and an F-16 flying the tight Formula 1 course in full burner were memorable. We also had Harriers, F-14, and pretty much anything else the military wanted to show off, right over our heads.

By the time the F-22 started doing demos, we had moved out to the far north end of the Unlimited course so it was much harder to see. It's pretty impressive even from a distance. 2021 had the first F-35 demo at Stead. I thought it would be mundane since most of it's effectiveness is stealth and electronics but I was wrong. Very impressive to watch.

A SAR friend was an engineer on the F-35 design but left the program just before first flight. This year, she was working a SAR assignment near the ramp. She got to walk up to the F-35 as the pilot started her checklist and watch the whole demo up close from start to finish. It was a great way to close the loop.

The other thing they'll usually do is a legacy flight: the F-22 or one of the other hot fighters doing some passes in company with a P-51. I figure that if the modern pilot has any sense of history, that has to be pretty cool.

[NPV]

I love seeing this stuff it reminds me what we support everyday even if I am pretty far removed from the operational side.

[Doc_Glock]

I noticed the Photographer Mark Fingar recently did the photographs in a pistol review for some mainstream publication. Wish I could remember which one. He should get invited here! Customers I note from his website include Mystery Ranch, Fixit
Sticks, and Law Folders.



https://markfingar.com/info.html

[DC_P]

I got truly spoiled by working rescue at the Reno Air Races for the last 42 years.

Were you working the day the guy who was the son of the big furniture company (name escapes me at the moment) crashed in a P51? Its the only air race I have been to, and sadly the image of the that airplane tumbling towards the horizon is the strongest memory I have from it.

[Dog Guy]

Were you working the day the guy who was the son of the big furniture company (name escapes me at the moment) crashed in a P51? Its the only air race I have been to, and sadly the image of the that airplane tumbling towards the horizon is the strongest memory I have from it.

I wasn't out there the day of that crash.

[Doc_Glock]

I noticed the Photographer Mark Fingar recently did the photographs in a pistol review for some mainstream publication. Wish I could remember which one. He should get invited here! Customers I note from his website include Mystery Ranch, Fixit
Sticks, and Law Folders.



https://markfingar.com/info.html

Contacted him: He is on staff at Guns & Ammo and does the Raptor stuff in his spare time. Nice guy. Hope he joins forum.

[Trigger]

Meh. Don’t believe everything you read. People are having hernias due to the cost of an F-35, which is currently around $86M a copy for the USAF model. The Raptor was $160M a copy (plus about $160M per for R&D) twenty years earlier. What do you think 6th-Gen NGAD will cost? My bet is over $300M per plane, plus $300M per plane invested in R&D. I think those costs are going to be the biggest limiting factor, and will doom the project. Tough to make the threat look bad enough to justify those costs, especially in today’s political environment. Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley are not going to make this a priority compared to some of their fabulous initiatives.

I little thread revival.

I just read this article: https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-mos...n-one-picture/

IMO the F-35 is an amazing weapons system, and very good at its mission. Having toured the manufacturing floor in Fort Worth a dozen times, I never realized how state of the art it was. The article goes so far as to imply LM is redefining state of the art. The discussion on manufacturing tolerances was particularly impressive. Yes, the acquisition process is a mess. But the end result is supremely effective and impressive.