Saturday, April 25, 2026

 


15 comments:

  1. The US military spent oodles of cash on weird and wonderful experimental aircraft after WWII, didn't they?
    Al_in_Ottawa

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    1. It was a learning curve. What works and what doesn't. All put to good use eventually.

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    2. Are you implying that's how we ended up with the V22 and F35? Those are just two examples of crap that should have never gone past the "here, hold my beer and let me show you on this napkin what I think is a great idea."

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    3. Again, learning curve. The F35 has been purchased all over the world by other countries. They wouldn't sell if they were crap. You are focusing on the learning curve problems, not the end result of the lessons learned and applied thereby.

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    4. Better to spend it on projects like this than what our generation has spent it on. Scams, graft, and fraud by the $$ trillions.

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    5. You got that right! And in govt, it happens on both sides of the aisle.

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    6. CW. The F35 was and is the most expensive, least capable POS ever foisted on the military. We sold this to other countries to help pay for the bloated initial cost and subsequent overruns. First flown in 06 and with very limited initial fielding in11. Read this: https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/the-f-35-fighters-2-big-problems-that-wont-go-away/.

      It's a turd.

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  2. The SeaMaster was deemed obsolete due to the rise of the Polaris submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), budget constraints, and persistent technical issues like engine reliability and compressibility effects at high speeds.

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    1. The Avro Vulcan was also made obsolete by the Polaris. However, the Vulcan was used in the Falkland Islands war.

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  3. I lived across Middle River from the Martin seaplane ramp. I watched these marvels "taxi" in and out and fly overhead for the few years they were around.

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  4. Front end looks like a pelican.

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    1. The front end shape was for landing on the water.

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  5. Corrosion was a problem. The Seamaster was faster than a StratoFortress. Certainly was a sleek looking machine.

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    1. Yes, it was a good design but mission changes made it unwanted. That's not the fault of the aircraft and it's not alone in that. Many good designs around the end of the prop era and early jet age never got into production because technology was taking a leap.

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  6. Probably going to need some cousins of these for the upcoming WestPac festivities..

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