FighterControl

From AirForceTimes -

NEW PLANES
The 2010 defense budget pays for most of the new planes and helicopters requested by the Defense Department. What the Air Force is getting, in addition to 10 C-17s:

* $544 million for five RQ-4 Global Hawks.

* $489 million for 24 MQ-9 Reapers.

* $80 million for an unspecified number of MQ-1 Predators.

* $2.3 billion for 10 F-35 Lightning IIs (the Navy and Marine Corps receive a combined 20 planes).

* $600 million for five CV-22 Ospreys.

* $905 million for five tanker versions of the C-130 and a green light to start “advance procurement” for 20 more C-130s.

* $140 million for five HH-60G helicopters to replace aircraft that crashed since 2001.

* $319 million for eight C-27J transports owned and operated by the Air National Guard.

* $116 million for continued research into installing new engines on E-8 Joint-STARS reconnaissance planes.

* $306 million for development of the KC-X tanker.

I know it's not accurate, but:

$110m for a Global Hawk?

$120m for an Osprey?

$28m for a Blackhawk - ok, so it's a HH-60G...

and $230m for a F-35 (even more misleading I suppose because of the R&D element, but blimey!!)

Jeez, its no wonder the real world and military budgets don't mix too well...

* $306 million for development of the KC-X tanker.

The Americans Boeing and European Airbus Put in bids for tankers and Airbus won meaning the USAF would be getting some of the A330-200MRTT but the Americans through a spaner in the works and ask the bid to be re-done then thay win.

$120m for five Ospreys will include all the spares and engineering support for the in service time as well probably... this is what the price normally includes.
If not, then sod that...

Although we have more Chinooks coming i can't help but think that the Royal Marines would benefit from the CH-53K operating from our ships.
But then the RAF wouldn't like the RM/Navy having a larger helicopter than them!

lowlevel wrote:Bob Ainsworth and Gordon Brown...take note!!!!!!.

And what are they doing to get this? Cuts - same as us! ie A squadron of F-16s being retired from Spangdahlem.