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Inside the Joint Strike Fighter Competition
jonerik writes "The June issue of the Atlantic Monthly has this account of the history of the Joint Strike Fighter competition between Boeing and Lockheed Martin (which the latter company ended up winning this past fall, with Boeing now touting its expanding line of unmanned aircraft as the true future of tactical aviation). The article does a fine job of showing how the competitors dealt with the challenge of producing an aircraft (now dubbed the F-35) that the Air Force, Navy, Marines, RAF, and Royal Navy could all live with. Funniest part: Boeing's X-32 entry, with its enormous pelican-like jet intake, had some questioning whether the plane's bizarre appearance didn't hurt its chances more than its performance. 'Helpful as my contacts at Boeing were, no one was eager to claim credit for the design of the plane,' says the article's writer James Fallows." Fascinating article.
Do you think stories could use fewer links so readers can just focus on the specific article instead of having to sort through every link under the sun? Most stories should have just one link (additional cool pictures excepted, of course).
I've read a lot about the JSF program over the last 2 years or so, and it seems they did pick the best aircraft. Lockheed Martin simply has more (recent) experience with this type of aircraft, since they also designed the F-22.
On the other hand, I thanked God they didn't pick the hideous looking Boeing contraption. No self respecting fighter pilot would want to be seen in that.
In formal and informal comments to military officers, civilian analysts, politicians, consultants, reporters, and other members of the defense community, Boeing representatives were careful never to speak dismissively of the JSF.
Boy, I wish I worked in an industry where the primary competitors (while competing all-out in every other arena) deliberately avoided trying to FUD each other into the dirt at every opportunity.
And while I'm at it, I want a pony. One that can fly.
we called it "Vogon Poetry in motion"
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Back on the Secret Ranch, RMS perfects his GPL'ed ultralight, which (for some bizarre reason) has all the features of the bigger planes at none of the cost. However, due to licensing constraints, whenever the plane is brought into battle a copy of all the blueprints and materials must be given to the opponent. Additionally, they occasionally explode due to forgetful pilots leaving out a couple of right parentheses, as the only interface to the flight computer is through M-x and M-;.
- undoware.ca
besides, if you saw a 2 ton pelican bearing down on you at 800mph, you'd be screaming
Did anybody else read that headline as
some sort of gaming in prison?
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
The bizarre appearance of the fighter's enormous single air intake, coupled with an understanding of the inherent dangers for flight-deck personnel in carrier operations, caused one US Navy officer to dub the X-32 with the sobriquet of "the Sailor Inhaler."
"How many light bulbs does it take to change a person?" --BMcC-->
They owed us one after copying our space shuttle.
Boeing and Lockheed are both stupid. The obvious design is to shape the plane like, and paint it like, a shark. That way, when other pilots see the plane, they won't try to shoot it down. They'll just be like "Oh, air shark." and go about their business.
My dad works for Lockheed, so he tells me some funny jokes about the Boeing JSF all the time.
My favorites:
The only reason that thing flies is b/c it is so ugly the earth repels it
Lockheed guys gave the X-32 a nickname: Monica (guess why?)
A wise man once said: "Do not drink the lemonade given to you from a hobo"