The F-35 Is Strictly A High Test Airplane.

       With the restoration of the defense budget, it looks like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter airplane will be a definite go. This plane is supposed to do just about anything but bake cookies, and with all the classified equipment on board it might even do that. But cookies aren't what makes this plane special. It's a plane that every branch of the military will use in the future. It's supposed to be very versatile.
       But versatility isn't what makes it so special either. What makes it the most special aircraft our military has ever developed is the costs involved. Lockheed, the builder, claims the cost will be $75 million per plane. They say that, but the Government Accountability Office says $137 million each and tack on an additional $1 trillion to keep them flying for 30 years, the norm for such aircraft.
       The Pentagon stated this was an unaffordable amount so they lowered the expected cost to $857 million. That's right, from $1 trillion to $857 million. And they were able to lower that cost with no discernible change to what will be done to keep the planes flying. A savings of $999,143,000,000. $999 billion and some loose change! And no lose of servicing to the planes. Just what was all that money going to be spent for? You don't suppose the Pentagon is under estimating the cost, do you?
       Initially the cost to roll out the fleet was set at $233 billion, but now is set to run $400 billion, and counting. So if that cost doesn't rise any more and the GAOs estimate is more accurate, we're looking at $1.4 trillion. Where's all this money gonna come from? Oh, that's right, it's gonna come from you and me. Including the $999 billion the Pentagon doesn't think they will need.
       Now imagine if your child or grandchild wanted to buy one of these F35 Joint Strike Fighters for his or her school. How many chocolate bars will he have to sell? Well, at a dollar a piece, he'll have to sell at least $137 million chocolate bars. Does she know that many people she can hit up for a purchase of a Hershey bar? Can Hershey make that many bars in the allotted time period? And what about the fuel to get it to the school? It won't run on unleaded ya know.