You don't control the skies if you aren't there.
Posted on 07/08/2004 1:01:01 PM PDT by Akira
How much do you think it would cost? $10,000 (1,000 percent markup)? $100,000? Different diminsions. No piece allowed to be used from a prior model.
You don't control the skies if you aren't there.
Arg!! I give up. You are clueless.
"How much do you think it would cost? $10,000 (1,000 percent markup)? $100,000? Different diminsions. No piece allowed to be used from a prior model."
It WOULD be competitive with other washing machines....if it weren't no retail outfit would stock it, and even if they did, nobody would buy it.....and the retailer would over time reduce the price until the inventory was unloaded.
The objective is to maintain Air Superiority within the context of the reasonably forseeable threat environment.
There is more than one way to skin that cat.
Some folks on this board (and the Air Force) insist that an ALL F-22 force is the ONLY way
but, they are supporting an acquisition program that is more than just an acqusition program to them....it is the very life of the organization to them....so they make it seem more critical than it is.
Now, what options do we have? Here's a few:
* Upgrade F-15's? we could take some of the same avionics advances developed for the F-22 and put them in the F-15. This could arguably make them more effective and extend their service life. Probably a low-risk, cost effective solution, especially if combined with SOME F-22 purchases
* Rely on some future technology like, say, UCAV's? Ok, depending on the reasonable future threat profile, and data you have on prototype concepts that we are already working on you could choose this route, but, of course it is a high-risk solution that has unknown future cost factors....
* Go for a "stripped" down version of the F-22 or a variant. Not having external stores (for stealth puposes) is a limiter on the effectiveness of the F-22.....sometimes you just need ordnance on target (once air defenses have been degraded). So load the internal bay with fuel, forget about stealth, and load an F22 variant up with AAM, or JDAMs mounted on external wing mountpoints, like we do on F-15s and F-16s.....These would be less costly to maintain - you wouldn't have to maintain the radar signature like the current F-22. procure a mix of the current F-22 and these variants, you can probably reduce the cost of the overall program.
Bottom line: There are always options whether you are buying washing machines or aircraft. It's a matter of deciding what is important - and that is defeating any enemy in the forseeable future. This may or may not require the F22.....what we've seen in these articles, and others that say the Indian Air Force defeated us in excercises is the argument, that "YES - we are in trouble without the F22" So far, I'm not buying into that, so more data is required before I can say that the F22 program is worth the money that we'll have to put into it.
The best argument for the F-22 that I haven't seen articulated yet, at least on this board, is the industrial base argument. If we don't build planes, we forget how to do it (well) over time.
"You don't control the skies if you aren't there."
.....and you don't control the ground if you aren't in it. That's why, taking your lead, I am now worried about the North Koreans and Chinese developing fighters that fly through the earths crust. Swarms of Crust-Fighters, launched in overlapping waves would overwhelm us, leading to certain defeat.
;^)
Not if they built just one. Free enterprises do bonehead things. CEO gets sold on this idea of a super washing machine, they R&D it, tool up some machines, build a model, stocks drop, new CEO takes over, says this is stupid & kills the project. You got a million dollar (or real expensive anyway) washing machine.
The objective is to maintain Air Superiority within the context of the reasonably forseeable threat environment.
I agree. I'm just defending the analogy made by whoever it was that made it. :-)
"You got a million dollar (or real expensive anyway) washing machine."
But it sells for a competitive price....and that's the point
245 - "Swarms of Crust-Fighters"
Wow - you are right. Now, we have the technology to defeat these earth crust fighters, just dig a big hole, under our country, then these fighters would have nothing to dig through.
Technologically possible - we can dig this big hole. Yes, it's the only sensible thing to do.
Latest scoop on the F/A-22. A total of 24 delivered and 59 under construction/on order.
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