‘Software disaster’: Pentagon never even planned F-35’s gun to shoot until 2019

‘Software disaster’: Pentagon never even planned F-35’s gun to shoot until 2019

Bwhahahaha - - wtf?

RT: The F-35 fighter jet has been strongly criticized. Is that warranted do you think?

Pierre Sprey: The F-35 is in serious trouble, the latest is over the gun system. It is being reported that is due to a computer glitch – that is a severe understatement.

Oh for Cheezits sakes:

So for now, for the next four years, we have no possibility of shooting the gun, and it is the single most important weapon for close support and for close in-air combat. Needless to say the airplane is incapable of doing either one of them at all without the gun. And even after the gun works, if it does, which we don't know, the airplane will be hopelessly incapable of close support and probably worse at close-in dogfight than the 1960s MIG-21.

RT: There are three versions of the plane – do all of them have this computer glitch?

PS: Well, all of them have it. The only reason you are not hearing about the Navy problem with the software, is the Navy does not even have the gun. Two versions – the Air Force F-35A and the F-35B for the Marines have a gun – very important to both if they could do those missions.

Oh.....wait, im sure there are those who will have to disagree, they'll be along soon...........right now the F35 looks like a lead fart......

a reply to: stirling

Haha, I agree. One VERY expensive lead fart!


2019!!?? Really.


Hopefully no other country has foolishly signed for this -

Don't bring an F-35 to a knife fight.

a reply to: APT1Yksnidnak

Aircraft salesman, nearly as sneaky as double-glazing salesman...



Immediately made me think of this track from a satirical album I used to listen to in my misspent youth...

ETA: The album in question (Captain Lockheed & The Starfighters) was relating to the Lockheed F-104's German service and the problems the Germans faced adopting it. Music Noir, if you will.

a reply to: APT1Yksnidnak

Why do they keep trying to design a platform that will perform these multi roles. It doesn't seem to work out. Remember the F111 ? I don't know but the 3 models are so different they might as well have designed and built 3 completely different aeroplanes. They should have learnt their lesson from the F111.

a reply to: stirling
Hopefully no other country has foolishly signed for this

Wikipedia can sometimes be helpful.

While the United States is the primary customer and financial backer, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway, and Denmark have agreed to contribute US$4.375 billion towards development cost

Linky

I think i will wait for Zaphods opinion before commenting .

I want to say its stretching the truth, because it's a software problem which means it should be fix able and depending on the contract, fixable at the builders expense.


But it wouldnt suprise me at all if it's as reported.

Heard this, too.

After they give up on it, they'll state they never needed it and will be replacing it with another shiny new 20 year bazillion dollar plane project.

Fade to black…

originally posted by: Irishhaf
I want to say its stretching the truth, because it's a software problem which means it should be fix able and depending on the contract, fixable at the builders expense.


But it wouldnt suprise me at all if it's as reported.

I agree, should be an easy enough update to some code.

originally posted by: Bovah2

originally posted by: Irishhaf
I want to say its stretching the truth, because it's a software problem which means it should be fix able and depending on the contract, fixable at the builders expense.


But it wouldnt suprise me at all if it's as reported.

I agree, should be an easy enough update to some code.

Not if its filled with bugs. According to one source there are over three million lines of code. Thats a debugging nightmare. Probably designed and written by committee.

The YF-23 is just looking better and better every day......

OP as far as I know only the F-35A(airforce variant) will carry the GAU-22/A.

I am not worried at all. Plenty of kinks to work out as always.

originally posted by: 8675309jenny
The YF-23 is just looking better and better every day......

Not really. Cancelled for a reason.

a reply to: APT1Yksnidnak

Forgivbe me if I am wrong but isn't most of the arms that country's buy made by private firms who are given cases full of money to make a weapon the government wants?

Surely then government employees should be monitoring the development of all things bought by their employer and that includes software and aeroplane guns.

Then there should be no problem if they all do their jobs. However, perhaps we should all be glad that some dreadful menace of a plane designed to kill us all has rebounded on itself? Perhaps the Pentagon should rethink how many other countries it has interfered with and pull its neck in instead of trying to wind up other countries such as North Korea - where I doubt their software, aeroplanes and whatever are subject to corruption and incompetence - heads roll there I suspect if money isn't honoured in work.

I accept its a very basic attitude but the need for the plane to have an effective gun is basic in itself.

The F-35 is to replace the A-10, F-16 and the harrier. And the F-35 will only carry 200 rounds compared to the A-10s 1174 rounds.

EDIT: A F-35 modle is going to be capable of carrying gun pylons. But these dont have a softer ware to work either.

a reply to: stirling

When will people start seriously wondering if the F-35, at least, and the "Space Plane" and other rocket projects are not make-work projects designed to sustain the American aerospace industry and to keep China on its toes stealing and copying our stuff?

Then, maybe they will take the many sighting reports of the mysterious black triangles as evidence of the actual existence of and operationally complete brand of exotic new craft that make conventional AIRcraft obsolete? (See? I didn't even mention UFOs at all.)

Sounds like the software was outsourced to India.



Coming soon to eLance and oDesk:

Need software driver for GAU-22/A aircraft gun. Will pay up to $300/HR.

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: stirling

When will people start seriously wondering if the F-35, at least, and the "Space Plane" and other rocket projects are not make-work projects designed to sustain the American aerospace industry and to keep China on its toes stealing and copying our stuff?

Then, maybe they will take the many sighting reports of the mysterious black triangles as evidence of the actual existence of and operationally complete brand of exotic new craft that make conventional AIRcraft obsolete? (See? I didn't even mention UFOs at all.)

China has its own hypersonic glide vehicle program called the WU-14.