Posted on 01/24/2011 10:27:29 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The United States Air Force has long been the envy of the world's militaries—sleek, high-tech and lethal to all who opposed it. Now, at a clandestine military base that serves as the headquarters for the Afghanistan air war, you stare at the rows and rows of decades-old planes and wonder how those things manage to make it into the sky.
A maintenance crew works on a rusting, Reagan-era B-1B bomber, its black, bird-like frame soaking in the desert sun. These days the plane has to spend 48.4 hours in the repair shop for every hour it's in the air. Even older are the tankers that are supposed to keep those bombers (and every other airplane) flying. They were built during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Inside one cockpit, the navigator's station is literally held together by duct tape. "It's absolutely amazing it stays in the air still," the pilot tells me.
For today's wars, the Pentagon can get by with this fleet, plus some new drones and light surveillance aircraft. (The Taliban doesn't have an air force.) But for tomorrow's fights, those creaky planes could be a serious concern. Russia and China are working on advanced jets and next-generation anti-aircraft systems. Both countries are willing to sell their latest gear to the world's most cancerous regimes.
The U.S. Air Force needs an upgrade. Bad. The problem is the funds to modernize are limited, and the war in Afghanistan has to be priority No. 1. So the trick is to get a new flying fleet on the cheap. It'll be tough to do. But it's not impossible.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
The article is way off in its presentation of what is required to get planes into the air.
Its time to think about the next war.
I'm sold. /s
Who can beat the existing US airforce? An upgrade is a luxury imho
We need new technology and weapon systems to stay ahead of the game. Russia and China have gone ahead to develop new missiles while we refuse to invest in the future.
maintain research and development funding, but upgrade of entire fleet is not needed until the need is great
“Who can beat the existing US airforce? An upgrade is a luxury imho”
Russia and China won’t go away just because you think an upgrade is a luxury...imho.
BTW Blofeld, just how much of our technology does China have now? I understand they ripped us off WRT our stealth capability. If you know more about that, I would appreciate the particulars. I saw it in passing...
[a rusting, Reagan-era B-1B bomber]
Rusting ? ? ? Maybe corrosion.
Google “Sukhoi T-50.”
Let me know if you still think a USAF upgrade is a “luxury.”
and how many of those planes are in service vs the f-22. Don’t tell me 3 t-50 is a threat to 100+ f-22
Not yet. We have 187 F-22s. The Russians will have more than that number of T-50s in five years. Bank on it.
We have 187 F-22s
—
We had 187 F-22s, one crashed in AK, pilot lost, cause unknown until Spring.
It’s not rust, or corrosion. The B-1s (and other aircraft) operating out of these areas for long-durations don’t get as thorough wash-downs and pick up a lot of dirt. Which looks a heck of a lot like rust. I’m trying to find the pictures I’ve seen out on the ‘net; this was a big discussion on some of the aviation boards a couple/few years back (until those actually working the birds in the operational environments schooled the “OMG - why are they letting B-1s rust like that!?!?!” alarmist crowd.
Yes, it did.
Some of you people have no concept of the word broke.
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