the reds

4y

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is emblematic of the constraints on US weapons procurement that have held since the Cold War. Conceived to save money with a single design that would be used by all branches of the military. However, the Air Force, Navy, and Marines were able to demand variants of the plane that would meet their particular needs. This produced the worst of both worlds: The plane is more complex and heavier than separate planes for each branch would otherwise be, since the F-35 needs to include features for each service branch in a plane that will be used by all three, and, at the same time, three variants will be manufactured, losing much of the hoped-for cost savings of a single plane. The complexity of the plane increases the difficulty of manufacturing it without fatal defects. The F-35 prototypes have failed to meet its performance objectives and in war games simulations were easily shot down by existing Chinese and Russian fighters. Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin has convinced Congress and the Pentagon to move ahead with production even before the design flaws are resolved. American allies, such as Australia, have paid for a portion of the design costs and are committed to buying the planes, even though the versions they will get (which are in addition to the three variants for the US military) will lack some of the most advanced features, making them even more likely to be “clubbed like baby seals” in actual combat

TLDR: The US military is structured to lose fantasy wars with China and Russia and nothing else.

eye contact

4y

Conceived to save money with a single design that would be used by all branches of the military. However, the Air Force, Navy, and Marines were able to demand variants of the plane that would meet their particular needs.

How was this allowed to continue

the reds

4y

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is emblematic of the constraints on US weapons procurement that have held since the Cold War. Conceived to save money with a single design that would be used by all branches of the military. However, the Air Force, Navy, and Marines were able to demand variants of the plane that would meet their particular needs. This produced the worst of both worlds: The plane is more complex and heavier than separate planes for each branch would otherwise be, since the F-35 needs to include features for each service branch in a plane that will be used by all three, and, at the same time, three variants will be manufactured, losing much of the hoped-for cost savings of a single plane. The complexity of the plane increases the difficulty of manufacturing it without fatal defects. The F-35 prototypes have failed to meet its performance objectives and in war games simulations were easily shot down by existing Chinese and Russian fighters. Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin has convinced Congress and the Pentagon to move ahead with production even before the design flaws are resolved. American allies, such as Australia, have paid for a portion of the design costs and are committed to buying the planes, even though the versions they will get (which are in addition to the three variants for the US military) will lack some of the most advanced features, making them even more likely to be “clubbed like baby seals” in actual combat

TLDR: The US military is structured to lose fantasy wars with China and Russia and nothing else.

deadacc

4y

looks like we should fund them more

the reds

4y

"the costs of weapons have risen far faster than inflation or GDP. The costs of fighter and bomber planes have escalated from $50,000 each during World War II, when the United States purchased 75,000 per annum, to $100 million for the F-15I and $2 billion for the B-2 in 1995 when the United States Air Force bought exactly 127 aircraft."

eye contact

4y

· edited

Broke: literally dominate the airspace of areas under your control and efficiently project power over advance areas

Woke: you can bomb one city anywhere at a time, for two days in a week, because you financially own the area (nobody there likes you). Nobody can detect you while you bomb the city but you’re the only one who does it, so they know it’s you. This costs the same amount

the reds

4y

Internal reports say "the B-2 could not be deployed abroad because the skin of the plane cannot handle the heat or the damp or the rain” like ????????????? forget afghan rockets it literally cannot fly

the reds

4y

Also learned that defense industry workers are disproptionately unionized

Lein

4y

More like the American hitler class am I right

deadacc

4y

wonder if mark fisher ever heard trilogy

seems like its everything he liked to nut over stewed together - burial, post punk, drake - although there's enough nostalgia bait that he would hate it as well.

Plankton

4y

US did nothing to Muslims after 9/11. Actively protected them in fact. US is significantly less authoritarian now than it was in 1940s, FDR was an aberration. Comparing US to CCP is objectionable. Consider deleting and apologizing.

SEGA GOON

4y

Hitler, Trotsky, Tito, Freud and Stalin all lived in the same neighborhood at the same time in Vienna.

Sitcom idea

Plankton

4y

US did nothing to Muslims after 9/11. Actively protected them in fact. US is significantly less authoritarian now than it was in 1940s, FDR was an aberration. Comparing US to CCP is objectionable. Consider deleting and apologizing.

Sepah

4y

Dawg my country literally got bombed into the Stone Age by NATO. I literally l saw family members and neighbors die because of US led western aggression. In Iraq soldiers were known for desecrating masjids, terrorizing civilians and sexually assaulting women and girls. Like you genuinely must have been in special ed classes if you think the CCP is anywhere near comparable to the genocidal beast known as America

the reds

4y

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is emblematic of the constraints on US weapons procurement that have held since the Cold War. Conceived to save money with a single design that would be used by all branches of the military. However, the Air Force, Navy, and Marines were able to demand variants of the plane that would meet their particular needs. This produced the worst of both worlds: The plane is more complex and heavier than separate planes for each branch would otherwise be, since the F-35 needs to include features for each service branch in a plane that will be used by all three, and, at the same time, three variants will be manufactured, losing much of the hoped-for cost savings of a single plane. The complexity of the plane increases the difficulty of manufacturing it without fatal defects. The F-35 prototypes have failed to meet its performance objectives and in war games simulations were easily shot down by existing Chinese and Russian fighters. Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin has convinced Congress and the Pentagon to move ahead with production even before the design flaws are resolved. American allies, such as Australia, have paid for a portion of the design costs and are committed to buying the planes, even though the versions they will get (which are in addition to the three variants for the US military) will lack some of the most advanced features, making them even more likely to be “clubbed like baby seals” in actual combat

TLDR: The US military is structured to lose fantasy wars with China and Russia and nothing else.

the reds

4y

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is emblematic of the constraints on US weapons procurement that have held since the Cold War. Conceived to save money with a single design that would be used by all branches of the military. However, the Air Force, Navy, and Marines were able to demand variants of the plane that would meet their particular needs. This produced the worst of both worlds: The plane is more complex and heavier than separate planes for each branch would otherwise be, since the F-35 needs to include features for each service branch in a plane that will be used by all three, and, at the same time, three variants will be manufactured, losing much of the hoped-for cost savings of a single plane. The complexity of the plane increases the difficulty of manufacturing it without fatal defects. The F-35 prototypes have failed to meet its performance objectives and in war games simulations were easily shot down by existing Chinese and Russian fighters. Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin has convinced Congress and the Pentagon to move ahead with production even before the design flaws are resolved. American allies, such as Australia, have paid for a portion of the design costs and are committed to buying the planes, even though the versions they will get (which are in addition to the three variants for the US military) will lack some of the most advanced features, making them even more likely to be “clubbed like baby seals” in actual combat

TLDR: The US military is structured to lose fantasy wars with China and Russia and nothing else.

space0cadet

4y

Press statement from goon:

Brah i got muted again. Mods keep rabid anti-semites around but keeping muting me. P**** ass libs. Anyway site been getting stale since the Yeezy s***. Maybe I'll come back when the rebrand happens. kanye​tothe app coming November 2012