Thursday 12 April 2012

F35 Controvery - Ship Suitability Testing

The F35B Fighter has come under controversy, with cost overruns and development delays.  In Canada it has become an issue, where the Conservative government is being accused of having misled the public. 

The government calls it an accounting error, which showed the cost of the fighter separate from maintenance costs.  There have also been allegations that the fighter will not be capable of doing what it needs to do for the Canadian Forces.  The only thing the opposition parties and the government can agree to is that the aging CF 18 fleet needs to be replaced. 

The cost of the current procurement in Canada is predicted to be $25 Billion. 

The video shows latest sea trials of the F-35B on the USS Wasp. By every indication, these trials were very successful with 74 standard and vertical landings. The media and the program critics had predicted that the aircraft would burn holes in the deck and wash sailors overboard and neither occurred.  An intentional part of the trial was to have a sailor standing on the bow of the ship as the jet rotates.   He was not washed away, neither were any holes burned in the deck of the ship. 

The USS Wasp is an amphibious assault vessel, carrying a Marine Expeditionary Unit.  The ship was deployed to Bosnia in 1998 during a Strategic Reserve Exercise.  The ship is capable of simultaneously supporting rotary and fixed wing aircraft during landing craft operations.
 


2 comments:

  1. Very interesting video...it would answer any questions that one might have, as well I'd say it proved itself very well...Thank You

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  2. It did prove itself at sea, the rest has to be developed now to meet Canadian Statement of Requirement Standards. The Chief Defence Staff swears by the aircraft. So we shall see.

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