Navy Struggles With 'Fighter Gap'

Andrew Swallow wrote:

:Ray O'Hara wrote:
: wrote in message
: ...
: 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
: procurement?
:
: Or something else?
:
: gap vs who?
:
:
:Try the Chinese attack submarines.
:

Oh, don't be silly! How the hell can there be a 'gap' between non-ASW
aircraft and submarines?

The 'gap' being discussed is between retirement dates for F/A-18C/D
airframes and the fleet entry of F-35C to replace them. Without some
action the F/A-18C/D aircraft have to retire, as they are getting too
many flight hours and cat/trap cycles on them to retain without doing
something. Without some sort of procurement there will be no
airframes to replace them with for several years after they are gone.

I don't see how accelerating F-35C buys is possible, since neither the
money nor the aircraft will be available.

Trying to recondition high flight time airframes is probably a
non-starter, since that would probably cost as much as buying them
new. Except you can't buy them new because the C/D line is closed.

To me it makes sense to trade off some or all of the projected future
JSF buy to buy more capable F/A-18E/F airframes at half the price of
buying F-35C.

--
"Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."
-- Charles Pinckney