by Phil Hingston
The Australian Government has committed the Australian taxpayers to purchase lots of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning “Joint Strike Fighters” for many billions of dollars. How many and how much? Let’s just say LOTS!
Initially we ordered a dozen or so, but that number has climbed to over 70 in 2016. Each jet costs around US$100 million, (AUD$130 million) for a total outlay of approximately $17 to $24 BILLION, depending on which report one believes.
The F-35 Lightning “Joint Strike Fighter” is a sexy name. It sounds impressive. It’s a 5th Generation fighting machine. There seems to be just one major problem.
Actually it doesn’t work at all, and apart from the massive cost, our young, highly trained fighter pilots might end up practicing emergency evacuation procedures under extreme duress more than doing any harm to incoming aerial invaders !
A Lemon?
A quick online search reveals dozens of articles and reports highly critical of the F-35 Lightning:
“It’s too slow”, “it can’t fight, can’t run and can’t hide”, “its gun doesn’t work”, “it’s not stealthy enough”, “it can’t carry enough missiles”, “pilots have poor rear visibility”, “engineering and design flaws too numerous to detail”, “it chokes out its’ pilots in a steep climb”, “it’s way too expensive”…. and sometimes, it just blows itself up and burns.
Sputnik News reported on the 26th of September, 2016 that Japan received its first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Given that one of the Pentagon’s own models caught fire on the very same day, can Tokyo expect similar setbacks?
This is a flawed weapons system, no doubt about it!
Then why have the Australian taxpayers been saddled with a $24 Billion lemon??
Surely our military decision makers and advisors must realise the folly of committing to such an expensive and ineffective acquisition program. Surely! Especially when the Australian Government has already run up a staggering $772 Billion in Total Government Debt since the Rudd/Gillard team took over.
And with a little more inquiry, the answer soon becomes clear. Crystal Clear!
The Revolving Door
Enter the Revolving Door — the magical door which revolves between big business and big government.
Which Australian diplomat has just been appointed to the Lockheed Martin Board?? None other than our former Ambassador to the US, The Hon. Kim Christian Beazley AC.
Kim Beazley
Lockheed Martin announced the appointment in June, 2016:
“Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Australian Ambassador to the United States of America, The Hon Kim Beazley AC, has been appointed to the Lockheed Martin Australia Board.
“…we are thrilled he has accepted this appointment.”
Lucky him! Lucky us!
Photo credits: the jet: Sputnicknews.com the accident: Businessinsider.com Kim Beazley: Couriermail.com
Wow. He probably ensured his appointment over a few drinks and nibbles when he and his good mate bozo Carr attended Bohemian Grove a few years back.
Not only do the politicians use the revolving door on a regular basis, but so does history. An identical scenario was executed in the early 60’s when F111’s were falling out of the sky. That master groveller Bob Menzies signed a contract with the U.S., not only to buy what at the time was a dud but also signed up for massive amounts of spare parts.
Why should we buy this rubbish from the U.S. to be used on the other side of the world, in the wars started by the U.S. and Nato?
That is, if the planes can get that far.
Nobody seems to remember that during World War II Australia built its own successful aircraft. Are we that much dumber now, that we can’t do the same. What a great opportunity for the unemployed.
Apparently we cant build our own submarines either, or tanks for that matter. We don’t even manufacture our own ammunition these days either. How could we ever defend ourselves, when we need to import our ammunition ????
We buy the U.S. junk that’s been discarded as no longer relevant, spend squillions allegedly upgrading a piece of essentially scrape metal and believe we’re getting a good deal ????? How did that turn out with the last lot of second hand helicopters we bought, after spending millions on upgrades they never took to the sky and were junked. Apparently the Yanks can identify a sucker a mile away.
Fraser was dead right, we need to cease aligning ourselves with he U.S. grow a back bone and stand on our own two feet.
Unfortunately we have ignorant political suckers (traitors?) In Caberra and a treasonous globalist inspired mass media distractring the peasants with inane crap.
So the Swans lost but the plebiscite will be back by Wednesday with badmen Trump and Putin on Thursdays.
So predictable!
Let’s say for the sake of argument that all the bad-mouthing of the F-35 is false. Is simply propaganda. Let’s imagine for a moment that it offers excellent value-for-money and is the most disruptive, ground-breaking, and game-changing piece of aerospace technology ever invented.
Let’s imagine that the Russians, Chinese, and any other potential enemy are absolutely terrified of Western-aligned countries operating these aircraft.
What good would bad-mouthing it do? Could enough bad press force the thing to be cancelled, like the promising US Boeing SST project of the early 1970s? Could simply CLAIMING that it is bad affect its actual capabilities?
Is Pierre Spey speaking the truth about the F-35, or is his thesis 50% (or 100%) bullshit?
Is it a boondoggle? Probably.
Is it over-priced? Sure.
Will it ever work well enough to be competitive? Maybe.
Will the cost to make it competitive be worth it? Very hard question. It depends on what potential adversaries are able to field in quantity.
Can it be compared apples-to-apples with anything else? Not completely, no. It’s unique. It’s possibly also uniquely bad.
Actual experiences by combat pilots with the F-35:
https://theaviationist.com/2016/03/01/heres-what-ive-learned-so-far-dogfighting-in-the-f-35-a-jsf-pilot-first-hand-account/
Could this be a propaganda-laden industry info-mercial? Yes, it could.
Considering Australia is cutting funding for education, health, social services and cost cutting on every taxpaying possibility for what? to purchase jets and submarines that on completion as a operational program are out of date in terms of capabilities of questionable value in what Australia can afford and whether they have any use in a conflict situation.
Rather than progressing upon a path of violent confrontation and having faith in technology as a solution of Global unrest? would have a beneficial redirection in the most intrepid possibility of a nightmare of mans fears and terror may be in the healing of coexistence with those whom are identified as the enemy of what is considered a correct and proper state of mind of those who apparently seem different from us? Here we have a clue to a meaning that is of variety and difference being a contribution to mans destiny, rather than a carbon copy of sameness.
This souonds exciting. Please clarify it:
“may be in the healing of coexistence with those whom are identified as the enemy of what is considered a correct and proper state of mind of those who apparently seem different from us?
“Here we have a clue to a meaning that is of variety and difference being a contribution to mans destiny, rather than a carbon copy of sameness.”
In the late 50’s we devoped the pilot free Jindivik. There is one parked in the entrance to the Williamstown airbase.
We handed our science to the yanks and now we have to buy their drones.
So for our politicians, twins of the drones we now have to buy off the yanks.
We still have the visionless dipsticks in Canberra stirred on by the Canberra boffins.
Traitors comes to mind and look up the ten minute video on the ‘Lima Declaration’ signed off by FM Willossee in 1975.
Traitors!
Willisee! Mike’s father.
Apols for the typo.
No need to apol, Ned. We realize you are typing on a brokendown iPhone while scuba diving.
It’s OK.
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