Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the new warplanes would send a strong message about America’s commitment to remaining a global leader in military aviation.

The new fighter jet, he said, “sends a very clear, direct message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere.”

What allies? Russia and Hungary?

But more seriously, the last thing Boeing needs is another project to fuck up. Maybe once they’re able to reliably design and build a commercial airliner, this would make some modicum of sense. Thing is, drones are the future of war (inasmuch as we should even want that), not fighter jets.

If only someone had warned us about the military-industrial complex at some point. This is the most clear-cut example in recent memory, with a sprinkling of presidential narcissism on top.

  • verdare [he/him]
    0•25 days ago

    I disagree on the point that fighter jets are not part of the future. Drones are definitely going to play a larger role, but they still have major limitations that would need to be covered by a human in the loop. The near future seems to be trending towards a single manned fighter accompanied by a drone complement.

    I do share your concern about Boeing getting the contract. And the fact that the current administration has effectively alienated all of our former allies.

    • Pete HahnloserOPMEnglish
      0•25 days ago

      The near future seems to be trending towards a single manned fighter accompanied by a drone complement.

      To do … what, though? This plane won’t be flying for a decade if history is any indication, and costs will treble by the time it’s in service and wildly out of date. You can already use an F-35 with a platoon of drones, so I’m struggling to see what problem this vanity project solves, short of shunting money Boeing’s way and having a number Trump likes.

      If Musk were serious about efficiency, this would immediately be shelved.

      • verdare [he/him]
        1•25 days ago

        I see it as less of a vanity project and more just the usual forward march of technology. As you pointed out, fighter jets take a long time to develop. By the time you field the damn thing, a lot of fundamental aspects of the design might be out of date. There are probably a number of things the DoD learned with the F-35, or tech that just wasn’t ready in time for that program that they’d want to put on the next jet.

        There are definitely broader questions about our willingness to spend this kind of money on war and reluctance to spend even a fraction of the same cost on anything that would directly help people. It always irritates me that the “it creates jobs,” or “it advances our science and technology” justifications are never applied to improving our infrastructure.

        having a number Trump likes.

        Can’t believe I didn’t notice that sooner. Man, that is fucked…