Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Head Of U.S. Air Combat Command: F-35s ‘Irrelevant’ Without U.S.-Only F-22 As Support

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in an undated photo. Credit: Reuters/Handout

Canada’s Multi-Billion Dollar F-35s ‘Irrelevant’ Without U.S.-Only F-22 As Support, American General Says -- David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News

New questions are being raised about whether the F-35 stealth fighter is the right aircraft for Canada after a U.S. general acknowledged the jet is limited in what it can do and needs to be accompanied on its missions by another multi-million-dollar aircraft.

The issue for Canada and other potential F-35 buyers is that the other aircraft referred to by the general – the F-22 – isn’t available for foreign sales because of its sophisticated technology.

Gen. Michael Hostage, head of air combat command in the U.S., said the F-35 is critical for the future of that country’s air force. But in an interview with the Air Force Times, published in February, Hostage pointed out the F-35 needs to work hand-in-hand with the F-22.

“The F-35 is not built as an air superiority platform,” Hostage said. “It needs the F-22.”

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My Comment: Jaw-dropping remarks from a top U.S. Air Force General on a plane that the U.S. is going to be dependent on for it's national security in the future.

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