F35's for Singapore ?
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A "sanitised" aircraft design should be approved by year-end to sell the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to countries outside the original international partnership. The non-partner international variant is being approved ahead of expected Foreign Military Sales orders from Israel and Singapore, and as a new export campaign ramps up to target Japan.
The JSF joint programme office has forwarded its recommended design to each of the three US armed services buying the F-35 and final approvals from within the Office of the Secretary of Defense are expected "well before the end of the year", says Jon Schreiber, the US director of JSF international programmes.
Programme officials have also since mid-June received authorisation from US export control officials to release design studies to Israel that include the integration of unique weapon systems, Schreiber says. Israel has requested integrating its own air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons with the JSF, and "they will be able to do their own gap analysis", he says.
The Netherlands and the UK are set to become the first international buyers for the F-35 next year, with Italy to follow in 2009. All three countries are to buy one or two aircraft during low-rate initial production to participate in the operational testing phase.
Meanwhile, the US government has decided to offer the F-35 instead of the Lockheed F-22 as an option to meet Japan's F-X fighter requirement. Boeing is expected to offer the F-15E or F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, with the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon also to be offered.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/06/28/215248/usa-to-approve-export-variant-of-f-35.html -
fark that .... may as well get some typhoons or rafales if we're only gonna get the "sanitized" version ....
in anycase, the F-35 will become the biggest lemon in military aviation history, you watch ....
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that's what they said in the past of the B2s and other expensive planes too.Originally posted by Fatum:fark that .... may as well get some typhoons or rafales if we're only gonna get the "sanitized" version ....
in anycase, the F-35 will become the biggest lemon in military aviation history, you watch .... -
Can we even afford these ridiculously expensive aircraft? These are expensive to buy and maintain. By no means are they cheap in any sense of the word.
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western arms manufacturers are pricing themselves out of the market .....
which third world banana republic can afford jet fighters that goes for 80 to 100 million a pop ? ....
nehmind .... they'll all be flying J-10s soon .... -
I think it is an extremely bad idea to pay for so much and wait so long for a 'sanitised' F-35. This JSF program is also plagued with problems ranging from technical to political ones. Personally i am getting disillusioned by all this negative news...
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Sg won't buy as our airforce have no such requirement..
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reminds me of last time RSAF wanted to buy F-16/79 (powered by turbojet J79 from F-4 Phamtom II instead of PW100 engine ) before F-16A/B was approved for export
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think thus far, singapore won't need such a airframe.
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Wat's the sense in paying big bucks for a watered down jet?
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this shows that they have too much $$ to spend or the top lvl see something that we cant seeOriginally posted by sgf:Wat's the sense in paying big bucks for a watered down jet? -
Dun mind getting a sqn of F-35B STOVL even it is less capable version.Originally posted by NewAge:this shows that they have too much $$ to spend or the top lvl see something that we cant see
Harrier is still flying not becos it is a good fighter but becos of it's STOVL capability. -
Watered down F-35 ? what for ? It would be just another AC.
First off.. when I saw demo vids of the f35 on youtube... I discovered that the F35 is a very unstable platform.. shape of air frame etc.. FBW or not.
when the F35 left the tarmac.. it wobbled, probably due to light cross winds.. indicated by the chase plane own camera.
Second, what so special about untested stealth features... so far , it's just the contractor and the US government saying so. Why should I thrust them. I'm not saying Stealth is useless, but how stealthy is it anyway... in what degree.. nobody knows. I Even have some doubts about the F22.
Just because both planes are expensive and cliams to invincible.. does not mean sh!T to me. They still depended on their AA missiles. -
Frankly speaking? I say we should just forget about the JSF.
Just buy a whole lotta F-15SGs instead. -
i wld rather mix F16, F-15 with Typhoon/RafaleOriginally posted by fudgester:Frankly speaking? I say we should just forget about the JSF.
Just buy a whole lotta F-15SGs instead. -
Harrier jumpjet!
want to have air superiority must as well spend more money on those Surface to air missles..
even if its vertical take off and landing...full load i think you also need momemtum to take off
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correct, with full load, harriers still require a runway to take off.
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How much is the price likely to be? I'm talking about the real figure not what the manufacturers claim.
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+1, plus a lot of Saab Gripen.Originally posted by fudgester:Frankly speaking? I say we should just forget about the JSF.
Just buy a whole lotta F-15SGs instead. -
ya i think gripen would be a nice choice too, im an amatuer but it seems to be cheap(ish) and very capable, and as a small fighter could be a good repalacement for F5's in interception? wonder if it can shoot US armarnant though??
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I'm no expert either but I'm also thinking Gripen to replace F5s. Our F-16s can probably last a good 10 more years. F-15SG coming our way. Maybe some Typhoon or Rafale to boost too.Originally posted by Nuad:ya i think gripen would be a nice choice too, im an amatuer but it seems to be cheap(ish) and very capable, and as a small fighter could be a good repalacement for F5's in interception? wonder if it can shoot US armarnant though?? -
Originally posted by sgf:I'm no expert either but I'm also thinking Gripen to replace F5s. Our F-16s can probably last a good 10 more years. F-15SG coming our way. Maybe some Typhoon or Rafale to boost too.
You want to be the next "rojak" ??? -
all along is 3 types of a/c what...what rojak?Originally posted by gary1910:
You want to be the next "rojak" ???
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If all we're gonna get is a "clean" version of the plane we hoped to get... I see no point in procuring it... Might as well use the $$$ to get more tanks, apaches or strike eagles...
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We should get more F-15s and typhoons in later stages. F-16 shd last about a decade more or so.