Pierre Sprey

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.[6]

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.[7][8] Sprey continued to be critical of the F-15 fighter.[9][10][11]

Pierre Sprey left the Pentagon in 1971, continuing to consult on the F-16, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, armor and anti-tank weapons to the media. He also helped lead two consulting firms, one active in international defense planning and weapons analysis. At this time, Sprey continued to work in combat data-based cost effectiveness analysis of air and ground weapons. 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.[5]

While working as an analyst for the OSD, Sprey was recruited by Col. Avery Kay to help with the concept formulation of the A-X.[12] Sprey would play a very active role in formulating the A-X Concept Formulation Package describing the flight characteristics and capabilities of the plane.[13] Sprey helped adapt the experience and practical knowledge of German WW2 ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel with the theoretical approach of German WW2 aerospace engineer Hans Multhrop to the Vietnam War experience of the A-1 pilots also working in the concept formulation group. Sprey was instrumental in making sure the A-X would carry a 30mm gun.[14]

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".[15]

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.[16] He said It lacks the necessary radios,[17] cannot survive small arms fire (or anti-aircraft guns) and has poor loiter time.[18] 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.[19]

Sprey gained wide public notability after having been interviewed on his views of the F-35 by the popular press,[20][21] on the politics and policy news network C-SPAN,[22] at a meeting of the activist group "Stop the F-35",[23] 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.[24]

Advocates of the F-35 state that the plane's unit costs is now 77.9 million for the Air Force F-35A and 94.4 to 101.3 million for the Naval F-35B and F-35C variants.[25] Sprey had said in an interview with the CBC's The Fifth Estate that the F-35 would likely cost over 200 million per plane (including development costs rather than excluding them).[26] However with 900 F-35s having been built,[27] the 71.9 billion R&D costs including block 4 upgrades result in a total unit cost of 158 million to 181 million; once all US aircraft are built the average is estimated to fall to 131 million per jet not including foreign sale premiums that would further amortize R&D costs.[28]

2017 saw widespread questioning of Sprey's perspective on the F-35. In the Paris Air Show that year, an F-35A demonstrated a range of complex aerobatic maneuvers that led commentators in the aviation and popular press to question Sprey's allegations that the F-35 was incapable of flying at low level, at low speeds, or with the agility of the F-16.[29][30] In addition, defense-related blogs carried interviews with pilots who fly and train others to fly the F-35 who report that it has higher angle of attack and better close-in maneuverability than the F-16 during dogfighting.[31][32]

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."[3]

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.).

Sprey died on August 5, 2021 of an apparent heart attack.[33][2][34]

• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Pierre Sprey, "Countering a Warsaw Pact Blitz", in Proceedings of the Seminar on Antitank Warfare, May 25–26, 1978 (discusses design considerations for future antitank aircraft)
• Pierre Sprey, Combat Effectiveness Considerations in Designing Close Support Aircraft(n.d., 1970s) (slide presentation)