Breaking Defense reported late last week that the military will start accepting F-35s without radars starting this fall. Defense Daily reported last month that some F-35s have already been delivered without them, but the F-35 Joint Program office denied this.
The problem stems from Northrop Grumman’s delays in producing upgraded radars for the F-35 as part of the program’s ongoing modernization effort. The radars are supposed to help the fighter jet detect, track, and target adversarial threats. Not built to host the older radars currently in use, the incoming radarless F-35s can still fly, but will only be used for training purposes until they can be retrofitted with the new radars — effectively sidelining them from combat.
Citing the F-35 program’s history of production delays, Dan Grazier, director of the National Security Reform Program at the Stimson Center, tells RS it is unlikely the new radars will be ready soon.
“Chances are extremely high that the contractor will not be able to deliver a working radar next year. Every time a program official has made such an announcement about a timeline, the promise never materializes,” Grazier told RS.
Apparently Northrup Grumman is taking a page from the Elon Musk book.
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On F-35, what do we know about the one damaged by enemy fire? Stealth fighter hard to detect by radar. Some say Iran used thermal imaging. Or are they using same routes so often their arrival can be anticipated?
Years ago in basic training we were told how to attack a fighter w an M-16. Supposed to fire 600 rds per minute or 10 per second. (That implies 20 rnd mag empties in 2 seconds but i think real rate of fire is half that.)
60 mph = 88 ft per sec. So M-16 firing at a 60 mph vehicle spaces rnds 8.8 ft apart. At 600 mph they are 88ft apart. You are lucky if one rnd hits target. Perfect timing required. A company firing or a group of machine guns or a gatling gun could be more effective.
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The F-35 program is basically a textbook case of how cost-plus contracting and too-big-to-cancel dynamics play out in defense spending — Lockheed had so many countries and congressional districts locked in early that cancellation was never really on the table regardless of performance issues. From a macro investing angle it’s worth watching how defense budget debates track with geopolitical tension cycles rather than actual program efficiency.
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well maybe the F35 already took out all the advanced targets? Now they are going in with F15 to do the rest? One just got shot down by the Iranian. So it begins…
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F15 is not stealth. They may have taken out radar and anti-aircraft batteries but shoulder fired surface to air missiles like Stinger are still out there. The U.S. produced 80,000 of them.
Not sure where Iran gets theirs. Might be our Stingers. Flies at Mach 2. Can catch up w most jets. Originally heat seeking but now has other seeking technologies. Self targeting. Solder has time to duck. Tricky to use when your aircraft are up there too. But great when only the enemy is flying.
Reportedly useful to attack drones. But is it cost effective?
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Oliver North sold Iran U.S. made Hawk missiles in an arms for hostages deal. Which worked.* Iran was incentivized to take more US hostages knowing they would be rewarded, which they did.
*For Iran.
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Trump is flailing and threatening war crimes. What war crimes? International law cannot be enforced without an enforcer or enforcers. No country can and wants to go against the US. It answers to no one and when Iran does not bend into submission, the US will make it bend by any mean necessary. That is completely crazy, and for what? What have we gained? Nothing. Our position is worst than prior to the US-Israeli War against Iran. War crimes. And what are we concerned about? the price of oil being elevated for a long while and a potential for a recession? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux4ctbyhb9o
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Some folks are benefitting from this market manipulation, er…I mean diplomacy.
Pete
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Peace in the Mideast is a reasonable goal. Taming Iran would be a major step forward if it can be achieved. No one knows what can be accomplished—especially w major threats.
I think we all hope for progress.
The most powerful incentive for radical regime reform or replacement is being able to join a functioning peaceful economically prosperous world order, if you follow certain basic rules….
The incentive vanishes when the prime enforcer of the post WWII world order has gone delinquent.
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