2 ms·

The whole point of the F-35 is stealth which is determined by the shape and materials used on the fuselage. You cannot simply retrofit stealth.

• erentz 10y ago
  Agreed on the stealth aspect. But it seems a reasonable data point to consider. Granted, it would be fairer to analyze how much of the program cost is tied to the air frame and stealth vs the avionics and weapons systems. When I hear figures of over $1 trillion in program cost, I think "Wow, you could get 10,000 new F18s for that price! What would 10,000 F18s do against a couple hundred F35s!" I do think we would got more for our money if we took more iterative approached to military technology to continuously improve air frame and avionics technology rather than making large risky step wise projects like the F35.
  • eric_h 10y ago
    I'm not really sure how you do iterative development of jet aircraft without spending unholy amounts of money.
  • na85 10y ago
    >When I hear figures of over $1 trillion in program cost Bear in mind that that's not the same type of price you're quoted when buying a car. The weapon system program includes the cost of training technicians to maintain and fix it, training pilots to fly it, the projected cost of expected mid-life upgrades, and most often overlooked is the cost of disposing the airframes when they are to be replaced in the future. You can't just put it in a landfill, it's loaded with highly classified military equipment.