Shadow

Question is, can the USAF/Pentagon/US afford a replacement so early?

I remember George W getting a crapload of flak for authorizing the F22 project, and the economy back then was way better than it is now. Unless this new jet has some super new tech like a visual cloaking device or force field thing, I don't see how the project will ever get the green light.

That's even more true now with the defense cuts that are coming.

As for the design. Not really fond of it but I haven't liked much from Lockheed since the SR-71. I miss the days when you still had Grumman and General Dynamics making aircraft.

and in case you think that's only from the most recent games...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twM6uCXUs40

I hated what they did in Twin Snakes. Too much Matrix style action. Snake doing a backflip as a missile flies underneath while managing to use it as a jumping board.

The original MGS had its' own "out there" scenes but nothing as nearly exaggerated as these or what you see now in MGS:R.

I think I'm gonna pass on this one though. Just deviates too far from what I really enjoyed about the Metal Gear franchise.

Well Japan has announced it has selected the F-35 as its' next-gen fighter aircraft. Not really surprised to hear this either.

Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011

U.S.-made F-35 is chosen for ASDF

By NATSUKO FUKUE

Staff writer

The government on Tuesday officially selected the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II as the Air-Self Defense Force's next-generation fighter plane to replace the aging fleet of F-4s.

The Defense Ministry said it plans to purchase a total of 42 of the state-of-the-art jets, the first four of which will be delivered in fiscal 2016 with a price tag of ¥9.9 billion each.

Funding to purchase the four F-35s will be reflected in the defense budget starting in fiscal 2013.

The formal decision to buy the F-35s was made Tuesday morning by the Security Council of Japan, which is headed by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. The council had initially been expected to reach its decision Friday.

Because the fighter is still being developed by an international consortium led by Lockheed Martin Corp., the price has only been agreed for the first four F-35s delivered, prompting concerns that the final cost may rise substantially and that the delivery schedule could be delayed.

The F-35 "was evaluated the highest in terms of performance" compared with the other two candidates, Boeing Co.'s F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofigher Typhoon developed by four European countries, Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa said.

Out of the three jets under consideration, the F-35 has the most advanced technology and the best stealth capability, the ministry said.

The interoperability of the F-35s with the ASDF's existing radar and weapon systems, most of which have been purchased from the United States, is believed to have been another key factor, and the importance of maintaining good bilateral relations with Washington is also thought to have played a role.

The ministry will demand that after the first four F-35s are delivered in 2016, the rest of the new fighters are to be assembled in Japan. Further negotiations will be held to establish the price of the planes to be assembled after 2016, the ministry said.

The ministry has been desperately searching to find a replacement for the ASDF's out-dated fleet of F-4s to keep up with China and other Asian countries that have been beefing up and modernizing their air forces in recent years. The F-4s were used extensively during the Vietnam War by the U.S. Air Force.

The government's selection was "understandable" given the F-35's high performance and Japan's close ties with the U.S., especially at a time when Tokyo is increasingly looking to Washington to contain China's growing might, said Narushige Michishita, an associate professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and an expert on Japan's defense policy.

"China's defense spending has been drastically boosted recently. Japan needs the U.S. as its partner to deal with China," Michishita said.

The ASDF scrambled to intercept Chinese aircraft approaching Japan's airspace 83 times between April and September, a 3.5-fold increase from the same period last year, according to the Defense Ministry.

In January, China claimed that trial flights of its own stealth fighter, the J-20, were successful.

"We're still not sure how China will act as a member of the international community," so buying a new fleet of fighter jets that remain interoperable with U.S.-made weapon systems was critical, Michishita said.

But as the F-35 is still under development, there are concerns about whether the scheduled delivery of the first four by fiscal 2016 will be met, and that the cost per aircraft could increase if problems arise. If the price is significantly hiked, Japan may not be able to afford all 42.

The government is also paying more to purchase the stealth jets than other countries, as Japan's long-standing weapons export ban prohibiting participation in joint arms development projects with other nations, has prevented Tokyo from taking part in the F-35's development.

"Considering Japan's fiscal crisis, it would be better for the government to change the ban on exporting weapons so that it can jointly develop military aircraft at a lower cost," Michishita said."The government should make efforts to reduce the cost as much as possible."

Information from Kyodo added

sweet vid...and this is why the SU 35/37 are my favorite planes/jets...theres even a better one floating around that would put the f-22 flt characteristics to shame..

Are you referring to the PAK FA?

Well, Uncharted 2 really set the bar high. So I'm not too surprised.

On other game related topics, I finished the main game in Sonic Generations. I'm glad I bought it on Steam instead of consoles, because the game's pretty short (Steam says I've played about 5 hours). It's solid fun, though, and the replay value is pretty high.

Eh, 5 hours seems pretty normal for alot of games these days. Got mine for PS3 and have no complaints. The amount of extra and unlockable content is really up there. The shear speed on some stages is just way out there as well as the fun factor. I'm glad I picked it up.

I'm waiting till the holidays to pick up either Uncharted 3 or Battlefield 3.

This is a pretty nice inside cockpit view from within a Blue Angels practice.

[tube]

[/tube]

Sonic Generations is released here tomorrow. I'll be running at super sonic speed to the Game shop after work to purchase my copy.

I ordered my copy off Amazon after I saw it had been given a price cut. Hopefully getting in the mail today. I hate this time of the year. There are numerous games coming out that I want to play all at once. I'll probably wait till the holidays to pick up BF3.

Wow, yeah. I'm watching some youtube vids of the custom home cockpits people have built for themselves and I can see the track IR thing in use. I don't think I'll get that hardcore. As long as there is a relatively easy way to pan around the virtual cockpit with a free hand, or sticky the camera onto a target, I think I'll be fine.

Are the campaigns good? I'm more of a single player guy.

They're decent and there is a fair selection of them. I've only tried the F-15 campaign so far. You can also create your own missions and campaigns.

Looks pretty good from the youtube vids I'm watching. What's the learning curve like? I do like realism but I also prefer games that teach you a little along the way instead of having to read a manual as thick as a phone book.

There is certainly no phone book sized manual. All the button controls are listed in the options menu and those are adjustable. Unfortunatly, you have to adjust each aircraft individually so if you set up your F-15 in such a way you like, you step in a Su-33 and it won't be the same. Axis controls and flight characteristics of individual aircraft can be changed but I would keep them in the default setting. About the most complicated thing you'll run into are directing the Laser-guided A-G weapons, particularly on the Su-25. Thankfully there are a few video tutorials that train you on this and more online. Alot of people recommend the TrackIR for panning around the cockpit. I get along pretty well without it. The original game came out in 2003 and it got two big updates in Flaming Cliffs and FC2. Graphics are alittle dated and certainly not as pretty as what you see in FSX. There is still a sizable community behind this sim too. Every year, a virtual air show is put on that uses Lock On.

Has anyone played JASF: Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters?

I'm trying to find modern air combat games for PC that are worth a damn. It used to be such a popular genre back in the day, and I really have the itch right now. I would love something with a little more realism than Ace Combat arcade style shooters, but maybe a little less realism than Falcon. JASF looks more along the lines of AC, but I'm so desperate that I'm actually thinking about getting it, or Hawx/Hawx2 even though the physics are so god awful. I'd really prefer something with accurate ammunition and G-force effects, but I'll take almost anything I can get at this point.

If you're looking for a modern combat sim, look at Lock On: Platinum. I never played Falcon 4 so can't honestly compare them but you have access to 8 aircraft instead of one. I still have alot of the old combat sims I used to play like Jane's USNF '97 and Fighters Anthology. Also still have Microprose F-117 Stealth Fighter 2.0

Has there been any more word on Metal Gear Solid Rising? Are they waiting until Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is released? Also, with next year being the 25th Anniversary of Metal Gear, I wonder if they are going to do a HD remake of the original Metal Gear or HD Metal Gear Solid?

Twich

I'd love to see a remake of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. The second game was way ahead of its time. It would be nice if more light was shed on that game.

Finally saw the Launch trailer for Battlefield 3. I actually have to say, the single player story looks interesting. I'm looking forward to well....everything but I'm curious to see what the fighter level will be like. From what I see, you play as the WSO rather then the pilot on an F/A-18F.

Well this is somewhat good news for the Raptor.

http://www.newsherald.com/articles/force-96998-resume-tyndall.html

F-22 to resume flights

September 20, 2011 07:47:32 AM

RANDAL YAKEY / News Herald Writer

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — After more than four-and-a-half months of being grounded, the F-22 Raptor once again will take to the skies.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz on Monday announced an implementation plan developed by Air Combat Command officials that will allow the F-22 Raptor to resume flight operations, according to Air Combat Command officials.

“We now have enough insight from recent studies and investigations that a return to flight is prudent and appropriate,” Schwartz said in a news release Monday. “We’re managing the risks with our aircrews, and we’re continuing to study the F-22’s oxygen systems and collect data to improve its performance.”

Air Combat Command officials said they developed a comprehensive incremental return-to-fly plan that balances safety and the expedient qualification of pilots against the inherent risks of flying advanced combat aircraft, officials said.

Neither the Air Force nor Lockheed Martin has said much over the past few month other than they were investigating the problem.

The problem with the F-22 oxygen system came to light in November when an F-22 crashed just outside Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, killing the pilot, Capt. Jeff Haney. Air Force officials briefly halted F-22 fights out of Elmendorf after the crash.

The Air Force confirmed “a parallel investigation” of the on-board oxygen systems of the A-10, F-15E, F-16, F-35 and T-6 aircraft, none of which fly out of Tyndall. Tyndall Air Force Base officials said other aircraft continue to fly to and from the base.

Raptor sorties had been restricted to an altitude of 25,000 feet or below for training missions because of the oxygen system malfunctions, according to Air Force officials.

Tyndall Air Force Base is the home of the 325th Fighter Wing, whose primary mission is to provide air training for F-22 Raptor pilots, as well as maintenance personnel and air battle managers.

Training for F-22 pilots is performed in the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall. The 325th Air Control Squadron trains air battle managers for assignment to combat Air Force units.

Tyndall and other local military officials could not be reached for comment Monday night.

Read more: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/force-96998-resume-tyndall.html#ixzz1aPSd2pOL

Yikes to the size of that thing and the price.

Would have looked better less weathered. I'm wondering if they're trying to paint it to look like this really famous "file" photo (I think it's legit) of the Rex in a conceptual operation"

Src: http://forceoperationsx.webs.com/

I hope they do the "Big Boss" generation MG's some day - The Shagohod, Raxa, and the whole lineup from Peace Walker have that classic but mechanicool design.

Always loved this shot except for the fact that it looks like the REX is about to have its cockpit blown away by that T-80 or 90.

Love the shots of the Draken and Mig-23. What museum did you visit?

Honestly, wasn't impressed with this. I tried the helicopter mission and hated the controls. I set the fighter controls to original. The new close quarters combat mode wasn't bad. The graphics were a downer though. The terrain didn't look all that much improved over what you got in AC5, to me atleast. I think this will be solid rental for me or a purchase when the price drops significantly.

Haven't heard too much but is the F-22 fleet still grounded? I know finances have been tight but I can't believe it's been this long and seemingly no progress in fixing the OBOGS.

I never read the comics but I did enjoy the animated tv series as a kid. Trailer looked interesting and I wasn't expecting full CG.

So long Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was a good 30 years and I hope we get more ambitious programs in the near future.

Living in northeast Ohio, I rarely see anything beyond some BMW 5 series and occasionally, a Jaguar. Spotting an Evo or even a WRX is a rarity. There is one Lambo out here and I've seen him on a few occasions. He was driving in the lane next to mine a few months ago. He would be showing off after every light or so though I did enjoy hearing those notes. I've also seen an Audi R8 a few times

Nice Focus. Though, I was never fond of Sync. Still, if I were to buy an new car under 20k, it would be at the top of my list.

Toyota needs this car more than Subaru. Sure they have the Lexus LFA. But how many people have $400,000 for a car. The Scion tc is OK, but is not very sporty when compared to other cars near that price range...Civic Si, Genesis coupe, GTI, Focus ST, Mazdaspeed3 and Veloster Turbo. So this FT-86 coupe should bring more younger drivers into the showroom. Toyota better have a turbo version of this car or else the competition will kick dirt at its face.

With such a long development time and track testing, this car better handle like a Mazda RX-8.

I think I still would have rather seen the MR2 revived over the FT-86. I was hoping the FT-86 when it was first being rumored was the revival of the Celica and we may have lead to an AWD GT-Four version.

Your not missing much from what I understand. I haven't even finished it. Just so unmotivated to complete it.

Games I've purchase and haven't started playing yet.

MGS 4

Heavy Rain

Uncharted 1& 2

I would certainly recommend giving Uncharted, especially the second game a go when you have the time.

Games I possess that I haven't touched yet or beaten. Abit older but ohwell.

Infamous

Xenogears

Chrono Cross

Lunar Silver Star

Lunar 2

Final Fantasy V

Lol typical Republican, talk a lot about family values, morals, etc, and then proceeds to turn around and get the maid pregnant

Arnold wondered away from that party long ago.

ohhh dear lord....somebody PLEEEAAASSEE find the clip from Kin. Cop and post it! "Who is your daddy??? and what does he do?" :lol: :lol:

I couldn't help but think of the Kindergarten Cop scene either after news broke out.

Quick little thought I had---you can usually spot an enthusiast just by how they spell "MiG". Most people won't capitalize the G.

I see that aswell. I'm just lazy about the capitalization.

If you've got the caps - I mean, if you've got the money, you can now buy Rivet City - I mean, you can now buy the former HMS Ark Royal from the Ministry of Defence. Mirelurks and water purification system extra.

Are there any Super Mutants lurking in the bowels that I should know about?

Hopefully this'll trigger a bit of nostalgia:

Those always made my school lunches better. Be interesting to see this brought back.