Pierre Sprey discusses his fighter jet designs, and his transition to recording music
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2024
- Raw footage from Tao Ruspoli's documentary archives.
Pierre Michel Sprey (Nov. 22, 1937-Aug 5, 2021) was a defense analyst and record producer. As a defense analyst working together with John Boyd and Thomas P. Christie, he was a member of the self-dubbed 'Fighter Mafia', which advocated the use of energy-maneuverability theory in fighter design.
Sprey was born in Nice, France in 1937 and raised in New York. After studying at Cornell University he studied mathematical statistics and operations research. He subsequently worked at Grumman Aircraft as a consulting statistician on space and commercial transportation projects.
During the 1960s, Pierre Sprey belonged to a group of defense analysts who called themselves the 'Fighter Mafia'. At the time he joined them, he had been a weapons system analyst working for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis. The 'Fighter Mafia' group of defense analysts worked behind the scenes in the late 1960s to advocate a lightweight fighter as an alternative to the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.
The Fighter Mafia strongly believed that an ideal fighter should not include any of the sophisticated radar and missile systems or rudimentary ground-attack capability that found their way into the F-15. Their goal, based on energy-maneuverability theory, was a small, low-drag, low-weight, pure fighter with no bomb racks. The Fighter Mafia influenced the design requirements of the highly successful General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, although they were not happy with design changes made to the YF-16 as it became a costlier multi-role fighter rather than the lighter air-to-air specialist they originally envisioned. Sprey continued to be critical of the F-15 fighter.
Pierre Sprey left the Pentagon in 1971. He and Colonel John Boyd worked with others in the Pentagon and Congress toward military reform, helping gain passage of military reform legislation in the early 1980s.
Sprey gained notability as a frequent critic of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program. He argued, paralleling his earlier arguments against the F-15, that despite its high cost the F-35 is less agile than the F-16. Sprey argued that compared to the F-16 or A-10 (in both of whose operational roles it is marketed to operate) the F-35 was overweight and dangerous, stating “It’s as if Detroit suddenly put out a car with lighter fluid in the radiator and gasoline in the hydraulic brake lines: That’s how unsafe this plane is…" and "full of bugs".
He argued that in the close air support (CAS) role, the F-35 is a poor replacement for the A-10 as it flies too fast for pilots to spot targets by eye and lacks maneuverability at low speeds. He said It lacks the necessary radios, cannot survive small arms fire (or anti-aircraft guns) and has poor loiter time. Sprey contended that close air support should be the Air Force's most important mission and that the USAF has been trying to retire the A-10 for years simply because it does not want the CAS mission.
Sprey gained wide public notability after having been interviewed on his views of the F-35 by the popular press, on the politics and policy news network C-SPAN, at a meeting of the activist group "Stop the F-35", and during a podcast of a debate between Sprey and a retired US Marine Corps combat pilot and instructor at the "TOPGUN" United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program who had piloted both the F-35B STOVL variant and the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, on the website of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine.
Record production
Pierre Sprey recorded music through his own label Mapleshade Records and sold high-end audiophile equipment. His recording with the Addicts Rehabilitation Center (ARC) Choir singing "Walk With Me" appears in Kanye West's 2004 hit "Jesus Walks." Sprey said he earned enough royalties from the West song "to support 30 of my money-losing jazz albums."
Sprey's recording techniques are highly unconventional, aiming for accurate reproduction of live music rather than manipulating sounds (e.g. with equalizers, pitch correction, etc.).
He didn't design a single plane, his harebrained ideas were only good of you wanted your pilots to die. Remember he wanted to keep the M48 over introducing the M1, must have eaten his words once Desert Storm happened.
@UCBd-oMJ74AHH2yeL1RDH3Yw Sprey was of the same cloth as the idiots who lobbied for the M14 in Vietnam and for that purpose sabotaged tests of the M16. I'm an Austrian history student, battlefields change, doctrines change and that's why proven technology is bound to become obsolete someday. Sprey was a hack in the field of aerospace, that's all I'm saying. Doesn't mean he's an asshole aside prom his professional ventures.
@J W my M16 argument was a COMPARISON. Sprey being cut of the same cloth doesn't mean he actually was one of them. I assume you're tired (considering possible time zone differences) thus I get your reading comprehension temporarily being a bit wonky.
@J W The M1 dominated the Iraqis. If the DoD listened then we would have lost more lives.
But the DoD knew luckily how retarded his ideas were and that he was an fool trying to build a legacy from his fantasies.
Good riddence.
@J W What do you mean he didn't design the F-16 & A-10
@J W you sure about that?
Piere Sprey did NOT work in the aerospace industry as a engineer, but a statistican the a10 was designed by Alexander Kartveli and Pierre sprey did not work on the f16, he was asked an opinion, whined about the price, and then cane up with the FXX or something like that (basically a list of important bits like the gps system he wanted removed fron the f16)
You knew nothing about pierre! Unfortunately i can't tell you pierre's true stuffs in defense dept
@@rambotito7573 Name one important accomplishment or plane he personally designed
but f35 is called fatamy
"His" fighter jet designs? That would've probably come as a surprise to Robert Widmer and Alexander Kartveli.
I corresponded with Pierre, and considered him a friend. I found him to be insightfull and succinct. Great man, giant intellect, honest and straightforward, He's missed.
“Honest” lol
The guy didn't design a single plane. He was a con man.
I get sick watching him. He's so proud and doesn't realize how incredibly wrong he's been over the years....
The last old skol machine head.....
Pierre The Con Man
Wasted mind
...
Demonized by the warmongers
Dw, he was NOT a wasted mind. His only real contribution to fighter aircraft was everything they need to remove from the f 16, some of which were removing radar, any capabilities to hold missiles, replace the bulletproof pod with normal glass, and removing the ejection seat. He never designed any aircraft in his life
Love this man!
I dislike Pierre sprey because he lies, he did NOT work in the aerospace industry, the a10 was designed by Alexander Kartveli and Pierre sprey did not work on the f16, he was asked an opinion, whined about the price, and then cane up with the FXX or something like that (basically a list of important bits like the gps system he wanted removed fron the f16)
He is an infamous liar who takes credit for other peoples designs
@@West_Coast_Mainline Your source?
@@HILLEVILOVEwhat’s your source?
good question what is his source@@bennittotheburrito9606
He was an awesome guy both in skill and personality. As an aviation enthusiast, I am one of his greatest fans. RIP Mr. Sprey.
He was a notorious liar and conman and has had nothing to do with any aircraft that flies today.
@@vayate1234 Stop making your own history. Multiple sources say he was in the "fighter mafia" that helped design the first F-16 prototype.
@@alilaldin2708 ah yes i sure do love flying my slow low altitude dogfighter with no radar and unguided munitions while an f-22 fires a missile from a country away and my dumbass explodes while trying to spot my target with binoculars
@@alilaldin2708 history tells different. He was just a mathematician/statician and not an aircraft designer or engineer.
@@alilaldin2708 Piere Sprey did NOT work in the aerospace industry as a engineer, but a statistican the a10 was designed by Alexander Kartveli and Pierre sprey did not work on the f16, he was asked an opinion, whined about the price, and then cane up with the FXX or something like that (basically a list of important bits like the gps system he wanted removed fron the f16)
May he rest in peace. He taught a lot to many people about many subjects.
Piere Spray was a mathematican/statician, he didn’t design anything
Ripbozo. Restinpiss. he wont be missed. Unlike his bad plane designs.