Posted on 02/02/2009 9:24:22 AM PST by Fennie
The Raptor is the world's most sophisticated defense weapon in the air - and it's ours. It was conceived in the mid-eighties to replace our aging fleet of F-15s, the entire fleet of which, you may recall, was grounded over safety concerns for two months in late 2007.
Nothing in the world can match the Raptor - although Russia and China are trying hard to catch up. To give you just a bit of an idea of this plane's capabilities, in testing "a Raptor dropped a 1,000-pound JDAM (guided bomb) from 50,000 feet (passenger jets generally fly at around 35,000 feet) while cruising at Mach 1.5 (around 1,000 miles per hour), striking a moving target 24 miles away." That's roughly the distance between the Washington, DC, beltway and the Baltimore beltway.
(Excerpt) Read more at iranpressnews.com ...
*sigh* Yeah. And they prove that every day.
They would have fit in nicely in the late 1930s Poland. They had "no enemy to fight", either, until the Nazi panzers started rolling over their borders and they sent their elite horse-borne cavalry up against them. Didn't do too well, IIRC.
I was refering to this article being in a Irannian website.
As far as the US taking out Irans air force in minutes.. . The Iranians have the only existing force of 15 F-14A fighters in the world still flying. They have the F-4, the Mirage F-1 (Acquired from Iraq during Desert Storm). and other fighters.. plus they are acquiring new fighters from Russia.
I know the USAF is the premier air superiority force in the world.. I KNOW it will win in a conflict with Iran. But I would not take the IRAF lightly. The USAF during Vietnam.. did the same and paid for it.
The Raptor should be fully funded through 500 units.
We play these stupid ass games, and then five to ten years later we get caught with our buns sticking out through the trap door.
When we conducted the Gulf War, we put 500,000 troops on the ground. Today we’re having trouble putting 200,000 on the ground. What’s the goal here, to make it so we can’t put 50,000 on the ground?
I realize this is somewhat off topic, but that model is what is taking place across the board. We have an aircraft that is being produced to see us well into the 2030s. Who knows what the world will be like by then? If we shut this plant down now, we’ll never be able to start it up again. And knowing how things work today, our brilliant government will give a license for the plant to be dismantled and sold to the Chinese, all technology included.
Finish at least 500 planes. That’s the long and the short of it. We downsized the first request from 750 units. Now they’re looking at only 1/3 of that production.
We’re actually contemplating this? Are we nuts?
What did Bush do with his Congress, six fricken years. Why are we facing just 200 or less planes? G-d d—n it! We put these bastards back in Washington to represent us, and they sell us out across the board.
I waited thirty years to see us take Congress with a Republican in the White House, and ten minutes after they are gone, this. Is that all the better they can do?
Sarah Palin will be all over him about like a cheap suit.
What the heck does he think we have in Alaska protecting us from the Russian Bear.
Not only does he not need the States building it loosing the work (especially those that are broke, CA, CT, etc..), he doesn't need to hand Sarah Palin another issue to run on against him in 12'.
Then again, half the Freepers here without his fancy degrees have: more emotional intelligence, common sense, and real world expertise to do his job better than him......
Remember the report from two years ago?
When the USAF sent fighters to work with India.. and in mock combat.. the Indian Air Force was pitting SU-27’s against our F-15Cs.. and the Indian's won the majority of fights.
I know the USAF has revised their training since then and they did much better when India deployed to Alaska last year.. but still.. it dose not pay to be lax..
I read that however, I actually read there are actually three in operation being tested on the aircraft carrier so while not a production aircraft yet, three are actually flying.
IF the Bambster had any brains, he would not only build the F-22 but he would do the following and really put some people to work:
B-52, finally, an engine upgrade to the JT8D-219.
Finish the engine upgrades to the C-5's.
Engine upgrade to the B-1, their was an upgrade program proposed of avionics, and putting the F-22's F-119 engine it that had many B-1 drivers drooling on various web-boards.
That is the F/A-35 Lightning, sometimes known as the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), which is supposed to replace the F-16 and F/A-18 for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. There will be three versions: land-based, carrier-based, and short take-off and landing.
LOL
Carter=peanuts obama=just nuts if anyone can make a mistake it’s obama he has a long history of it.
“Author is an idiot or spreading misinformation.”
Care to elaborate?
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2006/F22RAPTORSCORESDIRECTHITINTESTINGOF.html
That has more to do with the bomb than the jet.
“Huh? JDAMs are GPS guided bombs.”
Yep, they’re called the GBU-54
They come with an optional laser seeker package to give the ability to strike a wider array of targets to include moving ones.
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q1/nr_050203t.html
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q2/nr_050524n.html
http://defense-update.com/newscast/0808/270808laserguidedjdamdebutsiniraq.html
Was the original purpose of the B-1 to attack the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons?
I don't think they every worked out the EW gear to the level that it could penetrate airspace defended by Radar guided weapons.
Tactically, the B-1 really offers few advantages over the B-52.
Why do we need the F-22 anymore?
Bambi is gonna have everyone singing koumbyah and holding hands in a just a few short months?
Russia is going to completely disarm, china is giving up all it’s military to ensure it’s funds feed it’s population and the radical Muslims will be converting to Obamaism ....
You need to re-read the rules, lessons and limitations of Cope India.
India has a fantastic air force, but the USAF was intentionally limited in the tools and tactics they were allowed to use.
India came to the US this summer for Red Flag.
Not so good for India.
Called the “B-1R”, IIRC.
Would’ve been sort of cool, but rehashing an “old” platform might not be the way to go.
True, but only the Raptor’s gonna get Mach 1.5 with a load of JDAMs. Every other jet, except the F-35, carries them on the outside. So, the Raptor seems to get a little more “toss” range with that speed.
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