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F-117 to be retired
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:05 pm
by Charles Lewis
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iTsE ... wD8VB438G0
According to the article, one of the motivations to retire the F-117 is to free up funds for the F-22.
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:33 pm
by echoco
Haha I was wondering how long it'll take them to come down to this. I thought they'd go for the F-15s first, with the accidents and everything.
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:26 am
by Charles Lewis
I'm sure they'd like to, but they have too many to cheaply replace with something else. I think the article said there were only 54 F-117s built total.
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:50 am
by MarkG88
Charles Lewis wrote:I'm sure they'd like to, but they have too many to cheaply replace with something else. I think the article said there were only 54 F-117s built total.
JDAMS, armed UAVs, and yes, the F-22 (briefly until the F-35 gets produced eventually) made the F-117 obsolete. Its short legs, light payload and large logistics tail (due to the first generation stealth) make it prime candidate for chopping block.
The powers that be (former fighter jocks) in USAF won't be in hurry to retire F-15C anytime soon although they're using it's supposed high attrition rate due to GWOT as fodder for the F-22s propaganda machine.
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:18 pm
by MarkG88
Here is another article on the F-117 retirement from strategypage.com.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairf ... 80313.aspx
-Mark
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:50 pm
by echoco
59 build
7 lost
10 retired
leaves 42 or less, how many F-22 would that pay for, anyone knows?
costs of F-22
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... 2-cost.htm
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:20 pm
by Charles Lewis
The F-117s aren't being sold, but placed into storage. However, that means ground crews that can be retrained to the F-22 and experienced stealth pilots to add to the program. Further, the Air Force wouldn't have to buy more spare parts of the F-117s. Don't know if that translates directly into more purchases, but would make it easier to support the new program.
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:13 am
by MarkG88
Since it was a "black" program, no price tag has every publicly been mentioned for the F-117 as far as I know, but I'd say you could get maybe six F-22s for the lot of 42 Nighthawks
(had to deduct for "high mileage" and so forth hehe).
Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the F-22 (it's 200-1 or so in simulated air-to-air combat last I was able to find out) but current block editions of F-15E and F-16 also do very well (and there are hundreds of F-15Es and over 1,000 "modern" F-16s). And with less than 200 F-22s planned to be built.......I want my Eagles and Falcons around for a bit (ANG and AF Reserve units will still have them for a long time to come methinks).