Enemy Ace wrote:
I have been to several countries that would be overjoyed to get even "worn out" F-16's, NATO countries that are supporting us with boots on the ground in OEF/OIF. Yet, they can't get old A models or even old C models, they can be only sold or given the latest nearly new block type or USA Depot overhauled (Read:Expensive) airplanes.
I guess selling off cheap 16's would cause even more customers of the Uber expensive F-35 to have second thoughts about committing billions for a squadron or two of the new stuff.
BAE reported once that it cost over $800,000.00 to convert a F-4 to a drone. That is ridiculous when you think about what it is to be used for. And you know the -16 is gonna be more than that.
And Randy, last time I was in the Eglin museum there seemed to be quite a few drones that were already in the inventory or could be reproduced by a small entreprenurial company for one heck of a lot less than $800 grand a pop. I'm not against drones at all, just this incredibly expensive way of doing it. I am sure that if the major defense contractors didn't have a lock on it that a smaller company could come up with something very viable. And the QF-4 program is run by contractors, there shouldn't be a huge logistical tail. Exotic Jamming? IR Signatures etc? Who is the threat? a bunch of ageing Su-27's, worst case 99% of the time?
Like I said, I am waiting to hear about the cost overruns on the QF-16. $1.5 million a pop to convert? 2 Million? this is gonna be fun to watch.
Don't forget to wear your reflective belt!!!
I worked on the QF-4 drone program for BAE out of Mojave for several years and Randy has it 100% correct. If you think $800K is expensive to drone these aircraft, you should see the bill for putting them back into a 100% operational condition, and even if that was done you're still looking at airframes that are either close to or have exceeded their operational lives.
If you think that these drones can be "produced by a small entrepreneurial company for one heck of a lot less than $800 grand a pop," guess again. There's a lot that goes into the conversion, let alone the inspections and "over and above" repairs that need to be done so the aircraft can be safely flown. You just don't slam in a few servos and black boxes into these things. The division of BAE that produced these drones was a small company that found a market niche and was eventually swallowed up by Tracor, Marconi and later BAE. Considering these contracts go to the lowest bidder, anyone company attempting to bid a program like this with no experience will be committing economic suicide.
Randy has "been there, done that," there is no better authority than those who have actually laid hands on the hardware and flew the mission.
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