Tiger wrote:

an wrote:
: Dan wrote:
:
: Fred J. McCall wrote:
:
: wrote:
:
: :See:
: :
: :http://defensenews.com/story.php?i=3466832&c=FEA&s=CVS
: :
: :
: :What should the Navy do? Buy more F/A-18's? Speed up JSF
: rocurement?
: :
: :Or something else?
: :
:
: My personal opinion? Buy more Hornets and cut the F-35C buy in half.
: Super Hornets are cheaper than JSF (can probably buy at least 2
: Superbugs per JSF), more capable now than F-35C will be when it
: fields, and are available NOW. You wind up with equal or greater
: capability earlier for less money.
:
: Looking at the difference in price, I'd bet USMC is wishing it had
: some replacement alternative for AV-8B other than F-35B. I don't see
: how they afford the number of replacement airframes (320) they want
: given the price tag of the things. I have to wonder what it would
: cost to have Boeing restart the AV-8B production line and start
: cranking out updated AV-8's and how much before F-35B they'd be
: available.
:
:
: Ouch. Do you have any idea How Dangerous those things (AV-8B)
: are to OUR guys?
:
: Dan
:
:
: Oops. I forgot a couple of words.
:
: Dan
:
:No more dangerous than the F4U, F7U or F8 were back in the day. Hard to
:fly, but the rep is overblown. There have always been birds that tend to
: get that dangerous label.
:

I know a number of folks who fly the AV-8B. They don't seem
particularly terrified at the prospect. The AV-8B isn't particularly
more dangerous than any other aircraft of the same generation.

--
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to
live in the real world." -- Mary Shafer, NASA Dryden