Military, Budget Experts Urge Maintaining Of UCAS. See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aerospacedaily&id=news/UCAS071207.xml&headline=Military,%20Budget%20Experts%20Urge%20Mai ntaining%20Of%20UCAS

Are pro-JSF elements within the services (and Congress) trying to kill
the UCAS
to keep it from threatening the JSF?

If the UCAS goes ahead, what impact would it have on the JSF program?

On Jul 12, 10:58 pm, wrote:
> Military, Budget Experts Urge Maintaining Of UCAS. See:
>
> http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aero...
>
> Are pro-JSF elements within the services (and Congress) trying to kill
> the UCAS
> to keep it from threatening the JSF?
>
> If the UCAS goes ahead, what impact would it have on the JSF program?

I saw this movie already. The UCAS goes nuts and the flyboys in the
other program have to push themselves to the limits to bring it down.

On Jul 13, 9:29 am, Typhoon502 > wrote:
> On Jul 12, 10:58 pm, wrote:
>
> > Military, Budget Experts Urge Maintaining Of UCAS. See:
>
> >http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aero...
>
> > Are pro-JSF elements within the services (and Congress) trying to kill
> > the UCAS
> > to keep it from threatening the JSF?
>
> > If the UCAS goes ahead, what impact would it have on the JSF program?
>
> I saw this movie already. The UCAS goes nuts and the flyboys in the
> other program have to push themselves to the limits to bring it down.

You mean this movie?:

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/stealth/

That's Hollyweird's take on UCAVs.

I'm more interested in the real-life UCAS program and its possible
effect on JSF procurement. Are the pro-JSF crowd trying to kill UCAS?

LockMart has also proposed an unmanned JSF:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/15/AR2006081501288.html

How would this compare to UCAS?

wrote in
oups.com:

> Military, Budget Experts Urge Maintaining Of UCAS. See:
>
> http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aerosp
> acedaily&id=news/UCAS071207.xml&headline=Military,%20Budget%20Experts%2
> 0Urge%20Maintaining%20Of%20UCAS
>
> Are pro-JSF elements within the services (and Congress) trying to kill
> the UCAS
> to keep it from threatening the JSF?
>
> If the UCAS goes ahead, what impact would it have on the JSF program?

UCAS is complementary to JSF.
The two will co-exist.
There is some mission overlap to be sure but UCAS does not
fill the same mission space.

IBM

wrote in
oups.com:

> On Jul 13, 9:29 am, Typhoon502 > wrote:
>> On Jul 12, 10:58 pm, wrote:
>>
>> > Military, Budget Experts Urge Maintaining Of UCAS. See:
>>
>> >http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aero
>> >...
>>
>> > Are pro-JSF elements within the services (and Congress) trying to
>> > kill the UCAS
>> > to keep it from threatening the JSF?
>>
>> > If the UCAS goes ahead, what impact would it have on the JSF
>> > program?
>>
>> I saw this movie already. The UCAS goes nuts and the flyboys in the
>> other program have to push themselves to the limits to bring it down.
>
> You mean this movie?:
>
> http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/stealth/
>
> That's Hollyweird's take on UCAVs.
>
> I'm more interested in the real-life UCAS program and its possible
> effect on JSF procurement. Are the pro-JSF crowd trying to kill UCAS?

There are probably some pilot types who feel threatened by things
like UCAS but they need to explain how manned aircraft would be able
to provide long range persistent coverage. That is the UCAS mission.
Given air-to-air refueling the only limitation on UCAS mission
length would probably be engine oil supply.

IBM

The article at:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a12d188b8-e32e-47e2-aa09-ef576f913e74

has some interesting insights on the UCAS competitors and the
consequences of a successful UCAS program.

The Navy has chosen Northrop for the UCAS-D contract. See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a61e1c4f8-c26d-4328-a9b3-cd105388455c


The above link includes the following:

"System development and demonstration (SDD) could start by
2014-2015 - but that's when the Navy should be filling up air
wings with the F-35C. Where will the money and hangar space
for the new jets come from, and will the F-35C be caught in
a squeeze between the bird-in-the-hand Super Hornet and the
UCAS?"

wrote in
oups.com:

> The Navy has chosen Northrop for the UCAS-D contract. See:
>
> http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=B
> log&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewP
> ost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a61e1c4
> f8-c26d-4328-a9b3-cd105388455c
>
>
> The above link includes the following:
>
> "System development and demonstration (SDD) could start by
> 2014-2015 - but that's when the Navy should be filling up air
> wings with the F-35C. Where will the money and hangar space
> for the new jets come from, and will the F-35C be caught in
> a squeeze between the bird-in-the-hand Super Hornet and the
> UCAS?"

SDD isn't production.
It isn't even close.
This is a Demonstration.
Its intended to provide experience of operating
something like a production type vehicle off
carriers. UCAS-D will never be a production
vehicle. It's successor will.

IBM

More on UCAS-D operations at:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/UCAS080907.xml&headline=Details%20About%20Northrop%20UCAS%20Opera tions%20Emerge&channel=defense