ClearedHot

Typical FSU stud...

I think he is going to need Billie Baroo!

You do NOT know our capabiliies. Stealth is not the only advantage the F-22 has. I would also venture to guess the only time you have seen the inside of an airplane was as a passenger.

Well played sir...

Cave, if you do not understand a response of Pearl Harbor to the question of why we need this plane and why we need to be prepared, then I can not help you and quite frankly, you have no business posting here. The Numbers... Cave....I know the numbers, you obviously do not. Quoting open source numbers; The United States Air Force originally planned to order 750 ATFs, with production beginning in 1994; however, the 1990 Major Aircraft Review altered the plan to 648 aircraft beginning in 1996. The goal changed again in 1994, when it became 442 aircraft entering service in 2003 or 2004, but a 1997 Department of Defense report put the purchase at 339. In 2003, the Air Force said that the existing congressional cost cap limited the purchase to 277. By 2006, the Pentagon said it will buy 183 aircraft, which would save $15 billion but raise the cost of each aircraft, and this plan has been de facto approved by Congress in the form of a multi-year procurement plan, which still holds open the possibility for new orders past that point. The total cost of the program by 2006 was $62 billion. In August 2007, the United States Air Force signed a $5 billion, multi-year contract with Lockheed Martin that will extend production to 2011, and as of 2008, F-22 Raptors are being procured at the rate of 20 per year. In a ceremony on 29 August 2007, Lockheed Martin reached its "100th F-22 Raptor" milestone, delivering AF Serial No. 05-4100 By the time all 183 fighters have been purchased, $34 billion will have been spent on actual procurement, resulting in a total program cost of $62 billion or about $339 million per aircraft. The incremental cost for one additional F-22 is around $138 million; decreasing with larger volumes. If the Air Force were to buy 100 more F-22s today, the cost of each one would be less and would continue to drop with additional aircraft purchases 183 is a ludicrous number driven by politics and political staffers who do not understand Air Dominance. I do not argue the monetary issues of this program (or other expensive programs), but some things are absolutely must haves if we intent to remain a free nation. I would argue we need to find outside the box ways of paying for things we must have. There are ways to make this happen without breaking the bank.

Simple answer - Pearl Harbor Exactly, and 183 is NOT it.

Nothing personal, but this post is ignorant in so many ways... A stealth fighter DOES grant us an advantage against guys with RPGs, if you can't or don't understand that, I can't help you. We are doing ok in today's fight last time I checked. Do we need more things like AT-6B, yes, but those programs are small potatoes. "Nice to have"...UFB! Cost...stop reading the hype and try the facts. If the USAf bought the 790+ that was orgnally planning the cost would be mich closer to the F-35. By lower the buy to a moronic level we have dogpiled the R&D into just a few airframes

What high horse? In a thread about a possible new Weapons School Graduate patch you help derail the thread into a conversation about wearing the flag instead of the patch. I would say it is you who is on a high horse with a separate agenda. I repeat...UGHH

Ugghh.

AF level, I believe it is actually the USAF Heraldry Office. When the divisions became squadrons, the rules changed.

Dear god, we really do have a reading comprehension problem on here. AGAIN, those were not grad patches. They were division patches for the folks that taught in that specialty at the school, an attempt to generate morale. The graduate patch is THE SAME AS IT EVER WAS....THERE WAS NEVER A PROPOSAL TO CHANGE IT!

The USAF historian systematically killed all of the division patches off.

Shack It is just an updated group patch to reflect all the current WICs, they do this every few years. The grad patch remains the same. Again, confusion on your part. The Weapons School is the equivalent of a group with for the most part each WIC having it's own squadron. Prior to 2000 each WIC was a division which led to a division or MWS patch that instructors wore on the right shoulder and the standard graduate patch on the left shoulder. Examples below;

Ignorance is bliss...got a link?

LOL...I heard that nonsense as a young LT.

Same thing happening here.

Lots of mentoring as a kid and some as a cadet, mostly by active duty guys that were friends of my old man. My very first boss was a Lt Col Navigator who should have been a general officer...phenomenal leader and a great mentor...after him, ZERO mentoring until I was a captain and I met Rainman. The guy literally put him giant claw on my shoulder and set me straight. Say what you want about his gruff persona, but he genuinely gives a damn. I've made it a point to mentor folks both in my current squadron and outside and I encourage everyone of you to mentor folks below you. There is no downside and you are paying it forward for the next generation. There is a dude on this board that I met when he was 13 and I did my best to help him through the years. I was at his college graduation and his graduation from UPT. There are numerous folks on this board that I have tried to help. Several of you have been over to the house to have dinner with my family,hell...Rocker and Murph even got to see my kid puke in a Mexican restaurant.

I saw something mesmerizing myself just a few seconds ago. It started out as two perfectly shaped round objects. They were covered by two hand-like mechanisms that were gently caressing the round objects in a synchronized clockwise and and counter clockwise movement. Obviously a sign of higher intelligence.

You wore him down...sts.

Perhaps the ultimate CRM + Leadership video.

Ladies, The past few months have seen some heated discussions from both sides of the aisle and tomorrow night we will likely know who the next president of the United States is. Let this serve as a reminder that after tomorrow, regardless of your opinion of the person elected, there are regulations that govern the military and comments on the Commander in Chief. As military members we give up some of our rights in order to serve as protectors of this great nation. I urge all of you to become A-Political tomorrow night and remember the oath you swore to protect and defend the constitution.

Don't really care for this digital crap, still prefer the Defensive Egg over all other art.