Comments by "VisibilityFoggy" (@VisibilityFoggy) on "What Happened to the Rocket Jet Fighter - The SR-177" video.

@welshparamedic - That's doubtful. The Tempest is a sixth-gen air superiority platform that (given the development stage) is probably going to be the first of its kind. There won't be an American alternative until the Navy's F/A-XX sixth-gen plane hits production. Just like there's plenty of British tech in the F-35, there will likely be a decent amount of American tech in the Tempest through subcontracting. And it will most certainly utilize some American munitions mixed with the Meteor and some laser tech. It's going to be an awesome plane. Frankly, it's good for the American aircraft industry to have its closest ally developing aerospace tech on the same level. Partnerships with a hint of friendly competition can be a very valuable thing.
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The F-35 competes on the world stage with tons of other multirole planes. And if you don't want to buy from the Chinese, it's the only fifth-gen plane in serial production and ready for foreign military sales. The reason it's getting so many orders is because the price has been dropped substantially, to the point where it's only a few million dollars more than the Gripen, Rafale, etc. Then there's the fact that the F-35 is actually three separate planes. It is literally a perfect fit for the UK's carriers and Japan's helicopter carriers, the 'A' variant is perfect for network fusion between NATO forces (the USAF and RAF have been teaming up the F-35 and Typhoon, for example) and the 'C' will give the USN stealth tech until a new air superiority platform can be designed. The 'C' would be compatible with France's aircraft carrier but they're going to stick with the Rafale-M. Despite being trashed in the press (unfairly, by the way) the plane has proven itself to be very impressive. It is gaining customers on merit now that the kinks have been worked out, the pilots have learned how to fly it and the price has come down. Not everything is some big conspiracy.
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@johnmyviews3761 - Ehh, the US competes like everyone else. Brazil, in America's backyard, is buying 100 Saab Gripen fighters. The U.S. never tried to block that sale because they didn't choose F-35, F-16, etc. As for Canada, because of NORAD and the integrated nature of the two militaries, it's really just simpler for them to use American planes. A few deals have been scuttled because of the "Five Eyes" treaty as well since French aircraft sometimes haven't been compatible. Are there unsavory deals and politicking involved? Sure, but it's not quite that simple. Take the UK... the F-35B is absolutely perfect for Royal Navy. Why would they go with something inferior?
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@robrocksea - No, they are three separate companies. On occasion they will team up on a project. The only aerospace merger that's possible is Boeing and Embraer, but after the 737 debacle, that might be a no-go.
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@xmlthegreat - You mean the plane that had a 20:1 kill ratio at the last Red Flag? Yeah, really overrated...
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The AV-8B is a great example of this. Invented by the British and innovated by the Americans. The F-35 has plenty of British tech inside and the UK is the only Tier 1 partner. Plus, BAE is developing the Tempest. It would be very nice for, let's say, Lockheed and BAE to truly be 50/50 partners on a project. It would be impossible for those two together to produce anything but the world's best. I'd love to see a carrier-borne version of the Tempest compete for the US Navy's F/A-XX project. Perhaps BAE could make the "regular" Tempest and L-M or N-G, etc., could make a navalised variant.
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A lot of the influence that led to cancellation of the Arrow was internal. A good number of Army generals and Navy admirals did not want it to move forward because it was a costly project for a country of Canada's size, and the thinking was that the Air Force would hog all of the defense budget. Plus, Canada's doctrines at the time were shifting. They adopted the Bomarc missile and believed the greater threat would be from ICBMs rather than manned bombers, making an interceptor less useful. Plus, the F-106 (which served almost until the 1990s) was already in production and was substantially similar to the Arrow. It was a wonderful plane but the timing wasn't right.
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The Convair plane that never made it into production? It was a badass sea plane, for sure.
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Clearly you haven't driven a Land Rover in a while. ;)
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Is that where it crash landed?
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@SWRaptor1 - No, the F-22 does not destroy it in every metric. The F-22 is a heavy air superiority fighter. The F-35 is a multirole fighter/attack aircraft. The F-22 is light years behind the F-35 in sensor fusion, networking, and range of uses. The F-22 is absolutely the best fighter in the world, but the F-35 does a ton of things the F-22 cannot: the aforementioned battlefield management, close air support, fleet defense, EW jamming, acting as a mini-AWACS platform, Wild Weasel, etc. The two planes are not meant to compete. They each have different roles.
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