Scanning newspapers around the world I came on an article in the Toronto Star reporting on a recent GAO study of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development. That report , though recommending continued funding of the JSF development was highly critical of the current state of that development.
Two things: First, The Star was the only newspaper that I could find (surveyed NYT, LAT and, hometown newspaper, AJC) that carried anything about this report. Why is this. I'm not thinking anything sinister here, but in the midst of a budget dispute in DC, why not focus on a program that is developing a questionably useful aircraft that will cost approximately $100MM/copy with an additional $100MM of lifetime maintenance costs, all together for hundreds of billions of dollars.
Second, it appears that the only aircraft in the world that is being developed for air superiority is the Chinese J20, which, if the reports are close to true already has a superior capability to the F35 JSF and one which can't be re-engineered into the F35. [yes, I know the last link was to a Fox News article and therefore likely to be inaccurate and alarmist].
So, fellow Kossacks, why no coverage and why the continued development?
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A question on reportage and defense
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