4 ms·

All reasonable points, and there is plenty of good reason to be skeptical. On the other hand, Lockheed Martin is one of the largest defense and aerospace contr

All reasonable points, and there is plenty of good reason to be skeptical. On the other hand, Lockheed Martin is one of the largest defense and aerospace contractors out there, with a solid track record for bringing to market sophisticated aerospace solutions. They also made ~$3B in profit last year, so they are probably ok on the money front. At the least they deserve a bit more benefit of the doubt than, say that Italian guy running around claiming cold fusion.

Ygg2 12y ago
On the other hand, they are the makers of F-35, no? I think a fair amount of skepticism is needed.
- FreezerburnV 12y ago
  On the other other hand, they are the makers of the SR-71 Blackbird, so I think a little benefit of the doubt is needed. ;)
  - mzr 12y ago
    That was designed in the '60s by a prolific aircraft designer. It was quite a different time.
    - hga 12y ago
      But they continued that with e.g. the F-117 stealth fighter(-bomber), after Kelly Johnson was no longer running the show. The story of the prototype's development is stunning, see e.g. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316743003/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316743003/ As for the F-35, the TFX like requirements are its biggest problem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvark#Tactical_Fighter_Experimental_.28TFX.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvar... see also The Strategy of Technology if you want the whole picture).
- sethrin 12y ago
  The F-35's issues have been ascribed to the Marine Corps' demand for VTOL. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/fd-how-the-u-s-and-its-allies-got-stuck-with-the-worlds-worst-new-warplane-5c95d45f86a5 https://medium.com/war-is-boring/fd-how-the-u-s-and-its-alli... The best thing you can say about the F-35 is that it's a perfect example of design-by-committee.
mcv 12y ago
Absolutely. Had it been anyone else, it'd probably have been written off right away. But it's Lockheed Martin, so everybody assumes there's something to it. Still, why go public on this without any data? Not publishing at all because they want their competitive advantage I'd understand. Publishing data I'd also understand. But a spectacular hype story with nothing to back it up? That suggests it'd about something other than just the science or the product. I still hope it's real, though.
- vidarh 12y ago
  Maybe it is a glimpse into internal politicking and budget wars. It's harder to cut funding to a project like this if people are beating down your door asking about it. But they'll only do that if they've been given some tantalising details about it.

Ygg2 12y ago

On the other hand, they are the makers of F-35, no? I think a fair amount of skepticism is needed.

FreezerburnV 12y ago
On the other other hand, they are the makers of the SR-71 Blackbird, so I think a little benefit of the doubt is needed. ;)
- mzr 12y ago
  That was designed in the '60s by a prolific aircraft designer. It was quite a different time.
  - hga 12y ago
    But they continued that with e.g. the F-117 stealth fighter(-bomber), after Kelly Johnson was no longer running the show. The story of the prototype's development is stunning, see e.g. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316743003/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316743003/ As for the F-35, the TFX like requirements are its biggest problem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvark#Tactical_Fighter_Experimental_.28TFX.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvar... see also The Strategy of Technology if you want the whole picture).
sethrin 12y ago
The F-35's issues have been ascribed to the Marine Corps' demand for VTOL. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/fd-how-the-u-s-and-its-allies-got-stuck-with-the-worlds-worst-new-warplane-5c95d45f86a5 https://medium.com/war-is-boring/fd-how-the-u-s-and-its-alli... The best thing you can say about the F-35 is that it's a perfect example of design-by-committee.

mcv 12y ago

Absolutely. Had it been anyone else, it'd probably have been written off right away. But it's Lockheed Martin, so everybody assumes there's something to it. Still, why go public on this without any data? Not publishing at all because they want their competitive advantage I'd understand. Publishing data I'd also understand. But a spectacular hype story with nothing to back it up? That suggests it'd about something other than just the science or the product. I still hope it's real, though.

vidarh 12y ago
Maybe it is a glimpse into internal politicking and budget wars. It's harder to cut funding to a project like this if people are beating down your door asking about it. But they'll only do that if they've been given some tantalising details about it.