The Controversy Surrounding the F-35
Okay…. There is no question that the F-35 is a rather controversial aircraft. A lot of people dunk on the F-35 because of the program’s price tag and just love to point out that the F-35 is an ineffective, billion-dollar flop that is no more capable than the F-16 Fighting Falcon. But you want to know something? A lot of those articles that are critical of this stealth fighter get their source from one guy and he is not exactly someone who should be taken too seriously. And his name is Pierre Sprey.
Who is Pierre Sprey?
Mr. Sprey was a French-born “Defense Analyst,” who in the 1960s, was a member of a group who were known as “The Fighter Mafia.” Basically, a group of controversial U.S. Air Force officers and civilian defense analysts who, in the 1960s and 1970s, advocated for fighter design criteria in opposition to those of the design boards of the time. I’m not gonna list them all, but Sprey was also a huge critic of the F-15 Eagle. Just like the F-35, he thought it was overpriced and had a lot of features that it didn’t need.
Sprey’s Radical Ideas
So during a meeting of aerospace engineers in the 1970s, he pitched a new design he called the F-XX and believe me, it takes “bare bones” to a whole new level. For Sprey, he thought things like a bulletproof canopy, ground radar, extra fuel tanks, and even a secure working military radio, were not really needed at all. Seriously… And yes, he was promptly laughed out of said meeting.
Media’s Misguided Trust in Sprey
But because of his background in the aerospace industry, many media outlets like to cite him as an “expert” when discussing the F-35. Even though asking him for advice on designing aircraft, would be like asking someone who used to change tires for Dale Earnhardt, how to build a race car engine. Yes, he worked on Earnhardt’s team, but he only changed tires.
~NC
