The meme that won't die; the F-35 as a "fifth-generation fighter"

The Williams Foundation is still going. They are not mentioned much in defence circles simply because what they say isn't all that important; as seen with the following. Take this recent update "Future Air Combat and 5th Generation Fighters" (PDF); a faith-based opinion of the future of the RAAF. They are in-fact blind marketeers of the F-35 for Australia. I wonder how the namesake of the organisation would feel about being used as a marketing effort for industry, rent-seekers and back-fill for the entrenched Defence bureaucracy?

Also, a note to the Williams Foundation, before awarding yourself as "independent" you may want to brush up on appearances.

The sponsor section shows this.

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"Independent". Sure.

It is interesting that the Williams Foundation has this membership list that looks like a retired officers club. This is to give the non-military person the appearance of knowledge of topic. Yet, while they may have x amount of hours serving in uniform, they don't seem to have 15,000 or more hours doing flight test engineering.

It is pretty hard to believe the "5th generation" label with fighters as it pertains to the F-35. Especially if the aircraft was originally designed with the belief that there would be plenty of F-22s around to clear the big threats. The F-35 will be lucky if it doesn't get killed off by advanced fighters like the SU-35--a non-stealth aircraft.

If not faith, the Williams Foundation's ideas are fantasy best suited for a 10 year old model airplane builder that has spent too much time with the glue, those in a retirement home or those thinking of the next Ponzi scheme to bilk the clueless politicians and taxpayers.

The Williams Foundation certainly is correct about military organisations failure to learn or misinterpret emerging tactics and methods, but probably not the way the letter intended given their want of fielding in effect, a "Brewster Buffalo II" to face growing Pacific Rim threats.

It is unfortunate that some didn't take the hint for real capability.

I wonder how the Williams Foundation membership feels about job loss, defence capability loss and most important; misleading statements? Normally, one should not have to question the motivation of such people, however the evidence shows maybe it is time.