[mikester]

We have an aging fleet of F-15s, F-16s and F-18s.

The F-22 is not built as a strike fighter, it's a long range air superiority platform.

The F-35 is a flexible strike platform. The F-15s were originally build as air superiority but the flexibility of the platform lent it to upgrades that made it a very good strike fighter/bomber as well. Still though the F-16 and F-18 were both built in the same 'age' and in fact competed against each other for the USAF bid. The F-16 won but the Navy thought the F-18 (which was actually the YF-17 during the USAF bid) was an excellent platform. They were right and both have been extremely successful platforms.

The F-16 and F-15 which the Airforce use share parts, mainly they share the same engine. This is good for the airforces readiness and its budget. Common parts = good right?

The Navy and Marines fly one fighter aircraft today really and that's the F-18. So since it's the single platform there is no need to share parts.

Lets take it another step to the F-35 joint strike fighter which was specifically designed as a multipurpose platform much like the F-16, F-18 and F-15 have become. In it we have flexibility in design to do different things for different applications while maintaining common parts which saves money. We also get advanced technologies and update our aircraft fleet. F-1[568]s are all wonderful airframes. I have been in love with the F-16 since I first laid eyes on it.

We need the F-35 and we need the F-22. There is no doubt in my mind about that. We may not need as many of them as we have of the other aircraft but I'm not sure I'd want to live with less. Beyond the self defense issues here (which I don't mean to discount) we need to be building stuff like this because if we stop building it we'll stop knowing HOW to build it and when the time comes when we need the technology we will be way behind the ball. We need these things and we need to keep people building them, designing them and flying them.

But, I also believe we need a shuttle program for a lot of the same reasons...

If we stop putting people in space on a regular basis and go automated we will get too far removed from the lessons learned of the past and make those mistakes again.

Oh, and 'export to allies' - we make money on that ****.