TaiidanTomcat
"A wretched hive of scum and villainy."
- Joined
- 19 July 2011
- Messages
- 857
- Reaction score
- 67
SOC said:So you are assuming that all of the airbases will remain operational? Why? You're aware we aren't talking about a relative handful of blindingly inaccurate SCUDs, right? You do realize that China tested an NMD system, has imported and designed SAM systems with an ATBM capability, and just might be able to work out the whole countermeasures thing, right?
Good thing we are developing a next generation stealth aircraft with VSTOL capabilities like the F-35B Amiright?
I also don't get what any of these future war "scenarios" (Scenario be the new word for "china always wins") are doing in an F-35 thread. If the whole US surface fleet is doomed, along with aerial refuelers, and every airfield in the region as well, what do you care if its the F-35 or a typhoon, Rafale, F-15K or anything else? Or did i miss the part where all of the super awesome missile attacks could be averted if only we bought an aircraft a generation older developed in the 1980's? If the US is doomed anyway what do you care about the F-35 being the aircraft we want?
If you want to talk about the effectiveness of china's ability to spam missiles to stop US offensive operations, why not start a separate thread about that?
As for Senator McCain. I live in the US. Politics can be extremely difficult to gauge even in ones own country and I can understand how, outside our borders it may seem like McCain is going to cancel it. I am here to tell you he can't. He is simply trying to look like he is fiscally responsible and the F-35 is the most expensive defense project for a guy who heads up the armed services committee. He knows he can kick and scream all he wants and make a bunch of noise, get lots of press out of it. But he wouldn't dare cancel it if he actually had the chance. He has as much say as any other armchair civilian on the F-35 and he knows it. He even Twittered about how costly the F-35 is. Here is a hint: when someone with power is whining about something to the interwebz, its because they don't have the power to actually change anything or they would just change it.
The F-35 Cancellation would mean the only service with a fifth generation aircraft would be the USAF. It would devastate US Naval aviation, and set them back 20 years until they could develop a fifth Gen. fighter of their own. the USN doesn't want to play second fiddle and lose half its carriers to budget cuts, and stretch the F-18E/F into 2031 as its primary aircraft. McCain won't do that, even if he could.