Screw this plane. Lockheed Martin: U.S. taxpayers want their money back.

re; Christian Breiding Speak for your self.
Despite everything the left has done to this country it is still worth defending, and despite their claims to the contrary our existing inventory is not the best the world has to offer. Plus they are wearing out. Besides it is not military spending that is breaking the bank. I think that we should buy more F-35s than planned and double the number of F-22s.

hey slowburn, how about the billions we waste in aid to countries like Egypt, Israel, yadda, this plane is a MONEY TOILET like the really "successful" F111,( look it up) sorry gotta agree with Christian six weapon pylons? what crap, six? shoots its wad in six seconds and has to leave,, what a joke

Thank you Slowburn. Never mind the teenyboppers... we all knew everything at their age. Gotta laugh at the six pylons comment - it would fool your little sister into thinking you were a boy genius however.

Its reading comprehension time, BB. \"The F-35A additionally carried an internal weapons load of two GBU-31 2,000-pound bombs with GPS-assisted inertial navigation systems and two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles with inertial navigation and close-in radar guidance. These were accompanied by an internal GAU-22/A cannon - the four barrel version of the GAU-12 Equalizer 25mm Gatling rotary cannon.\" I hope that they get the wrinkles sorted out with this one, it looks like a great plane.

external stores negate the stealth characteristics

Christian, if Obama gets his way that\'s exactly what will happen. He wants to put every aircraft engineer, technician and pilot out of work, civilian or military, and then use the money for what? Increased welfare benefits?

re; Doug Gardner
After you have taken down the enemy\'s radar an increased radar cross-section doesn\'t matter.

Atleast the A version is moving forward, the faster this program moves, with the most possible fighter, less the cost burden. But costs are no issue to the USA sincere it\'s economy is a war economy. Military means: 1. Jobs, employment 2. Industry 3. Overall defence and security of the country 4. Research and development, with military technology having civilian application like advanced prosthetics for the disabled and better next generation drugs. 5. Integration of communications, economy, society and security net. 6. Profits in capitalist environment. 7. Maintenance of competitiveness in the international stage and global reach. And much much more! The war economy rocks.

Why not just build a pilotless platform that, once empty of weapons and fuel, makes one last statement by impacting its target at max speed? Can\'t be much more expensive than the weapons themselves. Not sure why we need more than one or two pilots per multi-aircraft mission?