The F-22 is completely unneeded right now. We don't need air superiority like that as of this moment. Maintaining that fleet is a waste of money for our current needs. The F-15, F-16, and F/A-18E/F/G do that just fine. The Raptor would, however, become invaluable if, say, we entered into a war with China.
The F-35 will make the money back. It replaces all three of these older jets. Single engine (even on the Navy variant) allows maintenance costs to go down. Especially as the engine swap on one of these things takes hours instead of days. It is sad that most of the complications arise from the avionics package, not the plane itself. But there is only so much service life that a military jet can give you until you just can't keep upgrading it. The F-15 debuted in 1972 and is on the E variant (the Japanese have a J variant outfitted by Mitsubishi), the F-16 debuted in 1978 and is on the XL variant (the 5th iteration), and the F/A-18, the baby of the Navy/Marine Corps fleet, hit the fleet in 1983 and is currently on the E/F/G iterations (single seat, two seat, ECM variant respectively.) These planes, like the hardware on your computer, can only take so many software upgrades until you need to replace it.
It is typical of government bureaucracy that this contract has gotten flubbed so bad, but it really is the B variant that is causing the problems. The STOVL (Short take-off, vertical landing) variant that the MArine Corps needs has had serious avionics problems. They are trying the re-invent the wheel (the AV-8B Harrier, which the F-35B will replace, is one of the most difficult, counter-intuitive jets to fly) as far as control goes, and it is causing some major headaches. It will all be worth it in the end, supposing you agree with a need for military air superiority.
The F-35 will make the money back. It replaces all three of these older jets. Single engine (even on the Navy variant) allows maintenance costs to go down. Especially as the engine swap on one of these things takes hours instead of days. It is sad that most of the complications arise from the avionics package, not the plane itself. But there is only so much service life that a military jet can give you until you just can't keep upgrading it. The F-15 debuted in 1972 and is on the E variant (the Japanese have a J variant outfitted by Mitsubishi), the F-16 debuted in 1978 and is on the XL variant (the 5th iteration), and the F/A-18, the baby of the Navy/Marine Corps fleet, hit the fleet in 1983 and is currently on the E/F/G iterations (single seat, two seat, ECM variant respectively.) These planes, like the hardware on your computer, can only take so many software upgrades until you need to replace it.
It is typical of government bureaucracy that this contract has gotten flubbed so bad, but it really is the B variant that is causing the problems. The STOVL (Short take-off, vertical landing) variant that the MArine Corps needs has had serious avionics problems. They are trying the re-invent the wheel (the AV-8B Harrier, which the F-35B will replace, is one of the most difficult, counter-intuitive jets to fly) as far as control goes, and it is causing some major headaches. It will all be worth it in the end, supposing you agree with a need for military air superiority.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great
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