Lockheed Martin F-35A, B, C and other ideas

[chiglet]

The first ever carrier landing by an Indian Mig-29 pilot was last week (8th Feb). So no, actually, they don't. And no matter how ugly and uninspiring it is, I'd take a pair of F-35s over a squadron of Mig-29s any day. To say nothing of the dodgy second-hand carrier...
From Wiki


In the very next year (1961), INS Vikrant (formerly HMS Hercules) was acquired by the Indian Navy.[11] The Vikrant's initial airwing consisted of British Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers and a French Alize anti-submarine aircraft. On 18 May 1961, the first jet landed on board, piloted by Lieutenant (later Admiral) R H Tahiliani. That year, the No.310 Cobras Squadron (consisting of Alize aircraft[10][12]) was commissioned. After playing an important role in several major Indian military actions, specifically the liberation of Goa and the India-Pakistan war in 1971, she was decommissioned in January 1997 and turned into a museum ship.

AFAIK The Indian Navy operated Harriers from Carriers....

[Thorvic]

The first ever carrier landing by an Indian Mig-29 pilot was last week (8th Feb). So no, actually, they don't. And no matter how ugly and uninspiring it is, I'd take a pair of F-35s over a squadron of Mig-29s any day. To say nothing of the dodgy second-hand carrier...

I won't say anything about Farage and his freak show, or I will get in trouble.

Except the Indian carrier with its Migs will be operational from next year whilst its going to be 2021+ before the UK Carrier Strike is ready to deploy operationally !

Till 2018 i think would take the Migs as the F-35B is pretty much limited untill they get the full software suite and resovle the stuctural and engine issues over the next 4 years !

[Librarian]

Sorry. wasn't having a jibe at the plane. I was just stating the fact that a country WITH aircraft carriers and planes, and a space program, gets foreign aid to that extent from a country that desperately needs to sort out its debt problems. Cameron's still pi**ed because this aid was supposed to grease a deal for India to buy Eurofighter. They bought Rafales .

[Thorvic]

Sorry. wasn't having a jibe at the plane. I was just stating the fact that a country WITH aircraft carriers and planes, and a space program, gets foreign aid to that extent from a country that desperately needs to sort out its debt problems. Cameron's still pi**ed because this aid was supposed to grease a deal for India to buy Eurofighter. They bought Rafales .

They haven't actually, thats stuck in the Indian negotiating hell and going sour as drags on as the price has shot up whilst Indian buying power has shrunk

[Librarian]

Haggling again.... .

[PR19_Kit]

It beggars belief that we're giving aid to a country to help ITS defences at the cost of NOT defending our own country!

Just wait till my MP comes around to try and get support during the 2015 Election! I can almost remember his response word for word when I asked him what was their policy on Defence from last time. Total lies, the whole lot!  

[McGreig]

It beggars belief that we're giving aid to a country to help ITS defences at the cost of NOT defending our own country!

But we're not. UK aid to India goes to fight poverty and disease, not to the Indian defence budget. And, in any case, UK aid to India ends in 2015.

If you want a culprit for a drain on defence spending, maybe you should consider the totally pointless war in Afghanistan which has cost the UK £37 Billion so far and achieved nothing (last year's aid to India, at £280 Million, is less than 1% of that figure).

[kitnut617]

But we're not. UK aid to India goes to fight poverty and disease, not to the Indian defence budget. And, in any case, UK aid to India ends in 2015.

You could argue that if the Indian Government spent less on their defence, they wouldn't need hand-outs to counter poverty and deseases --- right ?

[McGreig]

You could argue that if the Indian Government spent less on their defence, they wouldn't need hand-outs to counter poverty and deseases --- right ?

You could, and that's one reason why it ends next year –  the UK government is under pressure to stop and the Indians don't need it and think that it gives the wrong image of India internationally.

My point was really that, in relative terms, the amounts involved were small, weren't aimed directly at the Indian defence budget and that there are other much larger and less justifiable wastes of UK taxpayers' money in relation to defence spending.

It also occurs to me that we have a "no politics" rule and that discussions of the merits of aid to India versus defence spending are going to be nothing if not political, so nothing more from me on this. Especially as it has nothing to do with the F-35 - my apologies for the thread drift.

[Taiidantomcat]

By "Doctorwho"

[Taiidantomcat]

[Taiidantomcat]

[PR19_Kit]

That's some SERIOUSLY good formation flying there. I didn't realise they'd built that many F-35s already either..............  

[Taiidantomcat]

1/48 F-35C announced from Kittyhawk



C inspiration

[eatthis]

where is the whole program at atm?
do any of them work yet or is there still loads to sort out?
whats the difference between the a and c variant?