On Sun, 4 Jan 2004 17:51:22 -0800, "Tarver Engineering"
wrote:


"Scott Ferrin" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 4 Jan 2004 16:12:51 -0800, "Tarver Engineering"
wrote:


"Henry J. Cobb" wrote in message
. com...
http://globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/040104-f-22.htm
"They're just trying to find a role for this plane because they've
sunk so much money into it," Riccioni said.

"The way Air Force officials and Lockheed Martin executives tell it, 2003
marked a turning point in the development of the F/A-22 Raptor fighter
jet.
"

Odd that, considering 2003 saw tail delamination, departure from
controlled
flight, failure to integrate the joint standoff munition and continueing
problems integrating weapons sensors. Especailly with Congress offering
the
program one year to get their act together, with the passage of the FY04
budget.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

Right on schedule.

So now the F-22 program has gone from "there is no problem" to "we have
turned the program around. Were they lying before, or now. (ie both)


I'd have to say it depends on how long passed inbetween the statements
and what they meant when they said "problem". Was it three our four
years and there was no problem they were aware of, then they found
some, and then they fixed them? Were they saying "no problem" for the
media because the media would take all the little kinks that get
worked out in the flight test problem as being major problems as they
have in the past with the "flammable aluminum Bradleys"? Joe blow on
the street doesn't know the difference between show-stoppers and the
normal working-the-bugs-out process. The thing is the scenario you
lay out could be argued either way. Think of it like this. Even if
the F-22A has problems as you've suggested in the past, the USAF
*still* wants them over any alternative despite their high cost. Why
is that? If it was soley in the interest of keeping jobs they'd can
the F-22 and have Boeing cranking out F-15s. But they're not. The
military has cancelled stuff before that they wanted but were not
living up to their promises. The A-12, Sgt, York, and TSSAM come to
mind.