The logic is still shit. The F35 is supposed to cost in the neighborhood of 10% more per hour to fly than a -16D, and while I’m sure the air force could maybe squeeze a better deal out of LM than the UAE did, but 1, you are asspulling your numbers, 2, the Ds cost us over 60 million adjusted for inflation, so the…

jlnbos .... Your statement..... “

It has more to do with who is paying for it. If the Saudis come in with a C-5 full of cash and ask us to build them an airplane, we’re going to do it. That money helps offset development cost for capabilities also used by the US, and we’d rather know exactly what they’re getting.

Did you bothered to read what Tyler wrote at the end of the article?

Must be the same guy:

Wow. Look at that. A fighter that’s NEVER been shot down in air to air combat - with MAD upgrades - with SIX-EFFIN-TEEN air to air missles. Be nice to have along side an F-22 tellin’ ya where to shoot. Wish we weren’t hancuffed by the F-35. Variety is the spice of life ;-)

“Who will they use it against?”

First saw this article at War is Boring, and am glad Tyler posted it here for the discussion thread. Aside from the F-35’s more powerful engine, you can pretty much tell visually that the F-16 is superior in terms of aerodynamics/kinematics. It’s unfortunate that the F-35 program epitomizes the word ‘boondoggle’ (“a…

As an added frustration, the unit (flyaway) costs of the F-35 and the F-22 are about equal now. Given the overall ass that the F-22 kicks, why can’t we just make more of those instead? Over a decade of Red Flag style engagements, the F-22 is coming out on top against pretty much everything pretty much every time. I…

@YCMFWS, By obviously equating the RX 100 II with a run-of-the-mill, small-sensor point ‘n’ shoot, you flunk your own litmus test. Your final statement is a triumph of attitude over knowledge and experience. If the RX 100 and similar enthusiast compacts aren’t for you, fair enough; just say that and move on. Others…

@YCMFWS, By obviously equating the RX 100 II with a run-of-the-mill, small-sensor point ‘n’ shoot, you flunk your…

A phone has far worse image quality, and a DSLR is far less portable.

A phone has far worse image quality, and a DSLR is far less portable.

I don’t think anyone’s going to spend $600 on a camera without knowing what they’re getting into. Even the smallest mirrorless cameras are going to be way bigger than the RX100, just because of the number of extra parts they require to accommodate changing lenses. If you can get photos that are 90% as good out of a…

I don’t think anyone’s going to spend $600 on a camera without knowing what they’re getting into. Even the smallest…

“A bitching sailor is a happy sailor”

Some additional info from a Surface Nuke EM:

we should totally get a kickstarter going to put that guy Buzz Aldrin punched on this manned trip so that he can, on live webcast, look out at the lander and admit its presence. then leave him there.

Dear third-world countries,

How do you carry out real world tests without a system being in the real world? One of the issues with supercarriers is that they’re such huge individual projects that you don’t have the luxury of building actual test systems. The EMALS works fine with sleds. It’s when they started hooking aircraft up to it that…

These aren’t minor improvements, they’re major. The electromagnetic launch and recovery systems are two of the big players in reducing the ship’s complement by about 1000 sailors relative to the Nimitz, and will pay for themselves in reduced salary alone.

I’m a relatively big guy (6’5”, 230) and I tend to sweat a LOT, and most deodorants just can’t hack it. The answer for me has been Old Spice Sweat Defense. It lasts all day, has several fresh scents, and doesn’t cause any irritation.

I’m a relatively big guy (6’5”, 230) and I tend to sweat a LOT, and most deodorants just can’t hack it. The answer…

When you put more crap on the hull, you make more flow noise as you move. When you make more flow noise as you move, you’re more detectable. When you’re more detectable, the bad guys might find you. When the bad guys might find you, they might kill you.