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To me, one thing that we should consider is that the F-35 was developed at a time when it wasn't really clear what the purpose and enemy is going to be - but th

To me, one thing that we should consider is that the F-35 was developed at a time when it wasn't really clear what the purpose and enemy is going to be - but the US couldn't afford to wait until that becomes clear. Prior to F-35, it was fairly simple: Warsaw Pact and proxy wars. But for the JSF, its beginnings are around/just after the end of the Cold War. It was maybe not quite aimed at Russia (but who knows). Then the Afghanistan and Iraq wars come around, plus air interventions in Libya and Syria, which were quite unique in how uncontested the US air power was. Re-rise of Russian aggression in NATO sphere of interest and the rise of China are really last 10 years or so. I'm sure my view is naive, and people who do this for a living had a clearer vision of what the F-35 had to contend with, but it's not easy to design a weapon that's effective against everything that's also kind of unknown. For example, it now appears like Russian military hardware is much worse than advertised and the real adversary in terms of technological sophistication is China. But how clear was it throughout this programme? Maybe some other design would have been more cost-effective against China in particular. Similarly, it may yet turn out that the design assumption are right. Recent war in Ukraine changed a lot of assumptions, for example about anti air defences. These had become kind of obsolete in NATOs views and largely dismantled without replacement, under the assumption that fighter jets will be better suited to that. Now, it seems, all NATO members are buying whatever is available in that space.

binarray2000 4y ago
> Re-rise of Russian aggression in NATO sphere of interest and the rise of China are really last 10 years or so. (1) USA has illegaly bombed and subsequent occupied Afghanistan, Iraq, part of Serbia ("Kosovo"), part of Syria - countries which are so far from the US, most US citizens wouldn't be able to find them on a map. (2) Ukraine, on the other hand, is at Russian doorstep. Both are Slavs, most of them are Christian-Orthodox and many have family ties with each other. And NATO is expanding towards Russia even thou Western politicians have promised to not expand it "an inch towards East". (3) US has risen after WWII. Now China, Russia, Iran, India... are rising. Why is that a problem? Or, maybe, you think that the US must remain the Hegemon while the Rest serves as a resource to be plundered and enslaved.
- _kbh_ 4y ago
  > (2) Ukraine, on the other hand, is at Russian doorstep. Both are Slavs, most of them are Christian-Orthodox and many have family ties with each other. So you’re telling me it’s okay to commit war crimes, genocide and forcibly invade a country as long as they are your neighbour?. And NATO is expanding towards Russia even thou Western politicians have promised to not expand it "an inch towards East". This never happened and even if it did it doesn’t give Russia the right to invade Ukraine, rape its people and commit genocide and war crimes with impunity.
  - KptMarchewa 4y ago
    Russian trolls can't comprehend that their point that their pro-war crimes and pro-imperialist views completely explain that every other neighboring country that is not already russian vassal state or china wants to be in strong military alliance like NATO.
    - binarray2000 4y ago
      The US and the rest of the West uses Ukrainians as cheap/disposable peons in a war against Russia. Even before February 24th, Ukrainians have lost their country to western interests. Today, Zelensky (who is not a Slav) sells the last bits and pieces to Americans for pennies on the dollar. They have done the same in the nineties to former Yugoslavia. Almost all of us are Slavs, we mostly speak the same language, many of us have the same surnames. But, through "divide and conquer" the West (led by the US) has unleashed bloody wars. As the Serbs are the biggest group in former Yugoslavia the West has used todays Croats (Roman-Catholics) and Boshniaks (Muslims) as their peons to fight us. They cynically apply the same tactic today, using Ukrainians and Poles to fight Russians - but always for western interests. Keep in mind: Slavs are the biggest ethnic group in Europe (over 300 million). Our languages are very similar, our worldview as well as our mentality. If we'd be together in some kind of confederation, the West would have a very strong competition. And an obstacle on the way to cheap resources (humans, commodities). You must read about Heartland Theory [0] which was summarized by its author as follows: "Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island; who rules the World-Island commands the world." [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_History https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_Hi... ADDEDENDUM: I forgot this, highly relevant for the previously said, quote regarding the NATO (you wrote "strong military alliance like NATO"). NATO's first Secretary General has said that the NATO was created to "keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down." [1] [1] https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_137930.htm https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_137930.htm

binarray2000 4y ago

> Re-rise of Russian aggression in NATO sphere of interest and the rise of China are really last 10 years or so. (1) USA has illegaly bombed and subsequent occupied Afghanistan, Iraq, part of Serbia ("Kosovo"), part of Syria - countries which are so far from the US, most US citizens wouldn't be able to find them on a map. (2) Ukraine, on the other hand, is at Russian doorstep. Both are Slavs, most of them are Christian-Orthodox and many have family ties with each other. And NATO is expanding towards Russia even thou Western politicians have promised to not expand it "an inch towards East". (3) US has risen after WWII. Now China, Russia, Iran, India... are rising. Why is that a problem? Or, maybe, you think that the US must remain the Hegemon while the Rest serves as a resource to be plundered and enslaved.

_kbh_ 4y ago
> (2) Ukraine, on the other hand, is at Russian doorstep. Both are Slavs, most of them are Christian-Orthodox and many have family ties with each other. So you’re telling me it’s okay to commit war crimes, genocide and forcibly invade a country as long as they are your neighbour?. And NATO is expanding towards Russia even thou Western politicians have promised to not expand it "an inch towards East". This never happened and even if it did it doesn’t give Russia the right to invade Ukraine, rape its people and commit genocide and war crimes with impunity.
- KptMarchewa 4y ago
  Russian trolls can't comprehend that their point that their pro-war crimes and pro-imperialist views completely explain that every other neighboring country that is not already russian vassal state or china wants to be in strong military alliance like NATO.
  - binarray2000 4y ago
    The US and the rest of the West uses Ukrainians as cheap/disposable peons in a war against Russia. Even before February 24th, Ukrainians have lost their country to western interests. Today, Zelensky (who is not a Slav) sells the last bits and pieces to Americans for pennies on the dollar. They have done the same in the nineties to former Yugoslavia. Almost all of us are Slavs, we mostly speak the same language, many of us have the same surnames. But, through "divide and conquer" the West (led by the US) has unleashed bloody wars. As the Serbs are the biggest group in former Yugoslavia the West has used todays Croats (Roman-Catholics) and Boshniaks (Muslims) as their peons to fight us. They cynically apply the same tactic today, using Ukrainians and Poles to fight Russians - but always for western interests. Keep in mind: Slavs are the biggest ethnic group in Europe (over 300 million). Our languages are very similar, our worldview as well as our mentality. If we'd be together in some kind of confederation, the West would have a very strong competition. And an obstacle on the way to cheap resources (humans, commodities). You must read about Heartland Theory [0] which was summarized by its author as follows: "Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island; who rules the World-Island commands the world." [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_History https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_Hi... ADDEDENDUM: I forgot this, highly relevant for the previously said, quote regarding the NATO (you wrote "strong military alliance like NATO"). NATO's first Secretary General has said that the NATO was created to "keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down." [1] [1] https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_137930.htm https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_137930.htm