On cbc news website: Trump criticizes F35 program. I have one question:

[applegrove]

if Trump slows down or cancels the F35 jet who does that benefit more than Putin whose jets would likely not compare and would be shot out of the sky by the F35 before they had a chance to be the aggressor. (Sorry I can't post link as I'm on my cell phone).

[exboyfil]

1. You got to think that the MIC will figuratively put this mad dog down

I actually wrote, after the Boeing Tweet, that maybe he should look at the F35 next.

Given your perspective though maybe I have to think about this more.

[applegrove]

2. I have no info that Trump would cancel or delay the F35. I'm just afraid

that may be what Putin wants.

[bettyellen]

3. Revenge? Aren't they built in Vermont?

[applegrove]

4. Trump is actually complaining about the costs and the contracts.

Which is reasonable. For now.

[tammywammy]

10. No, they're built in Fort Worth, TX; Italy and Japan. n/t

[True Dough]

5. The CBC story found here...

Here's the link:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/trump-says-keystone-xl-news-coming-soon-blasts-f-35-costs-and-the-cia-1.3891799


And an excerpt:

(Trump) also made remarks that might interest U.S. military allies — disparaging the F-35 fighter-jet program. As countries like Canada debate their part in the program, the incoming commander-in-chief blasted it as an example of wasteful Washington cronyism.

"Look at the F-35 program with the money, the hundreds of billions of dollars," Trump said.

"It's out of control. And the people that are making these deals for the government, they should never be allowed to go to work for these companies. You know, they make a deal like that and two or three years later, you see them working for these companies that made the deal."

[applegrove]

6. Thanks.

[TrollBuster9090]

7. There were actually a lot of people who had issues with the F35 program.

I'm more concerned about his stance on NATO. There are only two people in the world who favor weakening the NATO alliance. Trump and Putin.

Also, I think probably the biggest fan of cutting Japan loose, and letting them defend themselves would be China. China has been trying to gin up a conflict with Japan for many years now.

So, maybe as far as China is concerned, Trump is a wash. On the one hand, he's stirring up trouble with Taiwan. On the other hand, he's turning his back on Japan and South Korea, both of which China would like to smack around.

[demon in basement]

8. the last president to mess with the MIC was JFK

Here's hoping Donald really pisses 'em off! (Yes, that means what you think it means.)

[Ford_Prefect]

9. The F-35 is a HUGE waste of money that is NOT operational in bad weather, cannot defend itself

and is quite vulnerable in a variety of combat conditions. So testified by the lead test pilots. It cannot perform the most basic jobs it was built to do in bad weather, cannot fire the cannon or missiles consistently or accurately, cannot carry 1/2 the payload of older jets now in service, nor carry a meaningful load without degrading its stealth capacity, nor out-perform several types of planes in service here and abroad in any but the most favorable conditions. It uses more fuel to get aloft due to excessive weight. It will not be combat capable for several years at least due to the time it will take to resolve technical issues and myriad control code problems. The only reason it has been accepted for service is because approval changes the conditions of development and money sourcing and locks out the options that would allow it to be stopped. At a recent test simulating field deployment only one of 6 planes was able to fire up and make it to the starting line for take off, after multiple delays and reboots of the guidance, flight control and defensive systems computers.

This plane has been in development for twice as long as any previous aircraft. Rather than build 3 dedicated aircraft that would perform the roles the F-35 does at lower cost and with shorter project time they have packaged all of them into one airframe which has made the plane incredibly complex and unnecessarily heavy. In the time it has taken to develop it opposing forces have discovered and developed alternate and modified RADAR methods to defeat or reduce the stealth advantages claimed for this design. Several allies have had second thoughts about buying the F-35 based on current performance and on future maintenance costs, a factor that is regularly overlooked in reviews of the plane.

Trump will be a disaster for all of us on many levels but his comments about wasted money and the F-35 are on target. It is overpriced pork barrel in the worst traditions of weapons procurement. Worse than that it is a turkey that cannot perform the job it was built to do which puts the aircrews in danger and American citizens depending on it for defense at risk.

[applegrove]

11. Thanks. I did not know it was that bad.