Replies

I had no desire to command a ship or a desk.

Isn't that pretty much what I said? Also you confirmed my observation about a bit too much emphasis on landings. You do know that several times the Navy aviation community has deepsixed various developements, usually quite early in the process, that would get the aircraft on the deck without nearly the danger, but also without nearly the "glory" for want of a better word. The point still is to fly and fight. Getting home, while important and not unrelated, is still secondary to the mission. Now I'm sure that folks who are good at getting the OK-3 are probably good at dropping bombs too, but not necessarily, and they are even less likely, but still more likely than not, to be good at air to air. We've not fought in an environment where their was signifigent "Red" air opposition since WW-II, and that has tended to distort or change priorities, in the Air Force as well as the Navy.

Then there is the problem of the Navy air developement community not being able to bring a new aircraft to the fleet. The F/A-18 only kinda sorta counts. The A-12 was a disaster, I know a bit about that as I was working on one of the major subsystems. Where is the 21st century fleet defense fighter? It's not the F/A-18 and the F-14s really ought to be called F/A-14s, or maybe just A-14s.

Oh, and about calling me "son". Unless your commisioning year is somewhat before mine, 1973, it would not seem appropriate, now would it?

You implied that I somehow backed away from competition, which is not the case at all.

I dispute that the Navy can put TOO MUCH emphasis on landings. It is the core skill one must have to be successful. Your comment about "GLORY" being the reason for not developing safer methods of coming aboard is just silly.

Though we have the ACLS(Hornet)and DFCS(Tomcat), just what do you expect a Puke to do when the systems go down on a dark rainy night? Suppose your needles go down from mission damage? What then, smart man? Ditch at sea, or rely on your training to bring you home?

The reason why our current forces get so little 'Red" opposition, is that they know for the most part that scrapping with us is a sure ticket to hell. And do not kid yourself, we had plenty of practice against bandits in the Gulf of Sidra, and the ROE was the only think that kept a lot of ememy alive to see another day. They would feint us, merge on us, and after 30-40 seconds with their mirrors full of Tomcat they would run for home. Most CAP's all you had to do was light them up and they would scoot.

The problem bringing new craft to the fleet can be summed up in two things. Democrats and no-dick Admirals. If the Tomcat had gotten the engines it was supposed to have, it would still be the main platform today, as we would have never had a Hornet. The A-12 almost killed NAVAIR, and if the Super Hornet doesnt do it, then nothing will.

Right now, Squadrons are screaming bloody murder at how crappy the Super Hornet performed in Iraq, and you may yet see a Super Tomcat proposed very shortly with FBW and Strike Eagle electronics.