The cost of an F-35
There’s a reason I was in the infantry, I like to shoot guns and the Army had a lot and free ammo, too. The only thing I know about aircraft are that when I need them, I need them now. I don’t care where they come from, or how they got there just so long as they are there when I need them. That’s why I don’t blog about aircraft.
Luckily there are bloggers who do care about where aircraft come from and how they got there. Bloggers like Blackfive who goes into the nuts and bolts of the cost of the new F-35 program.
Apparently, his post has attracted the attention of the House Armed Services Committee who scurried over to the House of Matt to fill in some details. You might want to read it.
Category: Military issues
What a lot of citizens don’t know is that the Air Force spends a lot more on one jet, than the Army and Marines do on all the small arms…for the price of one jet, the grunts could all get a modern gas piston M4/ M16 and still have change left over.
Yep, a jet can do a lot of stuff, but a weapon that always works sure gives one a warm fuzzy feeling.
Excellent article! Reminds of the the justification used by the DoD to curtail the F-22 program, citing cost. Secy Gates said that we had no need for a fighter as capable as the F-22, because no one else has one that can match it. Well no shit, numbnuts! That is why it is called AIR SUPREMECY, we don’t want the other guys to have aircraft with capabilities to match ours! When will people ever learn that you don’t want to match your opponent, you want to be able to dominate your opponent?
B5’s excellent post points out two incredibly important facts. First that the price quoted is not the actual price paid. Second, that the price paid is still only more expensive on the margins, that much of that money is going to get spent one way or the other anyway. Better to pay for new jets than old ones.