[Charles Martel]

For that same money you could have 1,000 sub-orbital Burt Rutan-style fighters

When someone develops and builds a suborbital fighter that is militarily viable, please let me know and I'll start paying closer attention. So far, all Rutan has done is build something akin to the X-planes of the '50s and '60s. A great accomplishment, especially given the civilian development.

Unless we have something really special stashed at Groom Lake, we won't be seeing anything capable of carrying weapons outside the atmosphere for many years to come. We'll get there eventually - but by then the F/A-22 will be long in the tooth.

[ArrogantBustard]

Area 51, did you say?

It's almost as real as Burt Rutan's "Space Fighter" ...

[Southack]

"When someone develops and builds a suborbital fighter that is militarily viable, please let me know and I'll start paying closer attention. So far, all Rutan has done is build something akin to the X-planes of the '50s and '60s."

Is it your opinion that existing weapons can't be added to existing civilian aircraft, that existing civilian aircraft can't be used in kamikaze attacks, or that already-developed military programs such as Neil Armstrong's X-20A DynaSoar aren't viable?