Clark Griswold

Don't doubt they exist but just curious and keeping OPSEC front and center, are you saying that the tankers, AWACs, Rivets, etc.. could get closer? I think that (the 500-750 NM standoff) is the worst case on Day 1 but they have a some serious reach from the mainland, HVAAs are going to have to keep their distances as China has learned from watching us fight for the last 25 years. If we went to fisticuffs, there is no way they would let us either operate our force enabling assets in orbits close to them (inside of 500 NM) nor from MOBs just outside that range (Clark AB). Reference these missile rings: They would crater the shit out of any runway on a daily basis (unless we intercepted the daily SSM barrage) to keep our HVAAs from operating anywhere close. My idea for the trend in air to air combat is that LO needs to be incorporated into some larger, non-fighter aircraft if we want to continue to fight with AR, AWACS, EA, etc... this is just an example of where it would help to mitigate the A2/AD threat

Good podcast and worth the listen. As you said not directly related to the F-35 but I think it is tangentially related in that I don't think Western democracies take defense / military policies seriously any longer and no serious person can or should think the F-35 is still a good idea just based on the explosion in cost and delay in delivery. The average person serving in federal levels of government in the US, Europe, etc... probably hasn't served in any capacity in a military unit, has little substantive knowledge of the threats faced by aggressive states, thinks that victory is inevitable given the recent major military operations and that defense procurement is 50% military capability and 50% jobs and money in my district. Democracy is starting to loose the chess game against the authoritarian / autocratic regimes, not precipitously but slowly. Back to the F-35, wiki says Israel wants to buy them with mods for Israeli electronics and externally carried EW pods along with a two seat variant. Why not use these models but use the C model and have one a common EA aircraft across the Israeli, USN fleets and hopefully get the AF to buy a few for organic EA capability? Minor edit.

The article and MD's comments weren't saying that. Nor my intention to say the average illegal alien crossing has guns, drugs or nefarious intentions BUT there is a sizable percentage that do (gang members, cartel operatives, aliens from hostile nations, etc.). Just secure the border. Just that. If you did that THEN a rational, reasoned and sensible conversation could be had about what should happen to illegal aliens in the US who have lived and worked here with ties to the US. But the short sighted and corrupt economic and left leaning political interests won't turn off the tap so the boat continues to take on water. The border can be secured and policed reasonably. I as a tax payer would rather spend billions on keeping out random dudes with shotguns, AK-47s, MS-13 tattoos and multiple felony convictions than on useless shit like a GD stupid STOVL fighter that will likely never see combat against another fighter but may be used to bomb some jihadi in turdshitstan for probably 300K per mission. Rage subsiding.... Edit for grammar

Don't worry about this guy illegally crossing into the US with a shotgun, he's just looking for a better life. Shocking images from cameras on Texas-Mexico border capture steady stream of illegal immigrants sneaking into the United States with packages of drugs and guns Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3042805/Shocking-images-cameras-Texas-Mexico-border-capture-steady-stream-illegal-immigrants-sneaking-United-States-packages-drugs-guns.html#ixzz3XdGdB4hC Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Possibly so. Interesting that he pushed the "Red Bird" which was not going to have a radar as an alternative to the F-15, OODA is about first gathering information on what is happening and I never understood why he would not have been at least somewhat interested in the BVR fight prior to a WVR fight. I don't think he ever flew a fighter with a radar so without that first hand experience, it just didn't interest him I suppose. Another article on Stillion's presentation. http://breakingdefense.com/2015/04/should-future-fighter-be-like-a-bomber-groundbreaking-csba-study/ Idea is very "all eggs in one basket" unless you would cut the UCAVs loose to go beast mode on whatever doesn't squawk the right IFF if the mothership had to run for cover, got shot down or the links were jammed. Probability of that happening: 0.00001% Good point brought up though not related to his new air superiority concept was on page 50 with the probable requirement for HVAAs, namely tankers to operate 500-750 NM from contested airspace (China-Taiwan scenario). He's not the only one to bring this up but instead of a UCAV controlling mothership, an LO tanker with a sensor suite to datalink the picture without the CAP having to transmit might be an evolution of how we fight to operate in A2/AD. A tanker version of the proposed FB-22 or LSRB could work.

Yup - Coram's book I think does a good job showing his thought process evolving from the practical to the theoretical to the philosophical. Haven't seen anything on Boyd's opinion or thoughts on stealth / low observability - did he ever write / present on stealth / lo ? Minor edit.

I hope not but history is rhyming Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In simple terms, Stillion argues that stealth, payload and sensor capability will trump traditional fighter metrics like speed, altitude and turn capability. Maybe but putting those sensors into something like an interceptor makes more sense as it could run away bravely if someone gets by the screen of fighters / UCAVS. He argues for a C2 mothership with UCAVs doing the fighting, sounds great but it can't be LO and talk to the UCAVs and if a leaker gets thru then the package (giggity) then a PLAAF J-20 or Russian AF T-50 gets a sweet guns kill.

Top 5 Cancelled Fighter Plane Programs Had not heard of the Atlas Carver and surprised the F-20 didn't make the list.

Long article but interesting (only perused some sections) - enjoy. Trends in Air to Air Combat Implications for Air Superiority John Stillion

Figures. This clip has probably been posted in another thread but probably a good analogy to what happened.

Sounds like the "Bigger-Higher-Farther-Faster" mentality Boyd had to contend with. They just can't imagine that the new platform doesn't have to be XXX times greater than old one for insert whatever metric(s) you want here. There is still a requirement for a CAS / Attack focused platform that can fly slow, turn tight and hang around while the TIC develops. It just needs to be a new aircraft with a sustainable MX base, improvements where needed to a realistic degree and reasonably affordable survivability built in. Serious question and don't mean to sound too out of my lane but instead of an LO platform why not design the A-X with as much signature reduction as you can but focus on a robust ECM suite integrated into the aircraft from the beginning?

Edsel

Probably so - that was just a guy's weekend (or several) project but still nice. The AE 2100D (J model 130 & 27) puts out (giggity) 4700+ ESHP so that could work and you could route the exhaust like on the A2D Skyshark But that's getting away from the intention of the original LAAR proposal. It needs to be something around 15 mil or less a copy and ideally cost less than 1K per hour to fly, those numbers were not stated in the original RFP but watching the whole thing unfold that appears what they wanted and now have in the A-29 program being run at Moody. I'm still a big believer in the Scorpion Jet and particularly that for the ANG, LAAR and would be good for DOMOPS / DSCA but without the ANG having its own procurement authority and the USAF not interested, probably a 0.1% chance. Got that covered.

Like it - just a plastic model but what an updated Skyraider might look like...

Yep - on the same idea, one reason (not the only) but one reason the F-20 Tigershark never got a launch customer was that we weren't buying it, the idea was if it isn't good enough for you then why is it good enough for me? Not confidence inspiring for an ally to commit to for a sustainable MDS. Now one was a multi-role fighter and we're talking about relatively inexpensive light attack aircraft but the idea is analogous. It's probably not too far off the mark that some of these partner countries would be more willing to commit their scant defense resources towards something that we fly, we will train them in and that we sustain the viability of by our ownership of said aircraft. Got to see the Scorpion Jet at a WEPTAC and they built that jet mainly for the international market (from the company reps), if the ANG and AFR which have 9 squadrons of A-10's were allowed to convert to say 5 of them to Scorpions that would give others (think Kenya, Columbia, Philippines, Brazil, etc...) the confidence to make their own purchases and seed the market. This is the strategic thinking that AF seems incapable of now, just reacts from one procurement fiasco to the next and is always making excuses and telling Congress that come next FY everything will be fixed. Edit: Added Scorpion Jet propaganda

Sorry to hear that, it always is amazing to see the lack of imagination or out of the container thinking the AF at certain echelons and above in the AF - if it's not 150K+ GW or supersonic the AF is not really interested and if the mission is primarily in service to another branch of the military, forget it. But I'm not cynical, not one bit...

yep - it would / would have been great but what should have been a straightforward Urgent Operation Need turned into a food fight and another fumble... So let's see 100 LAARs at 15 mil a copy comes to 1.5 billion and then x 4 for life cycle cost (WAG) comes to 6 billion then for about 20 years of flying service (conservative service life). Assume you keep 50 deployed and fly 200 hours a day, will just double a WAG of a per flight hour cost of $1000 and say it costs $2000 when deployed figuring the logistics footprint. That's $400,000 per day and that's a lot of ISR, Overwatch, CAS, Patrol, etc... Now to do that same 200 hours with 4th Generation fighter or A-10 at an average of $30,000 per flight hour in theatre and that's 6 million a day. That's not even trying to figure in the cost to AR some of those missions and cost of in / out of theatre movements. So in one year, to fly the 4th Gen it was about 2.2 billion and to fly the LAARs it was 146 million, difference of about 2.05 billion, you just paid for the LAAR acquisition in one year and every year after that's just bonus. Now I know that is just a linear extrapolation and the savings would take several FYs to realize as the spin up costs at first would be steep but had the AF had the foresight or the DoD to just admit around March of 04 that we were in protracted COIN / Occupation-Pacification operations in two widely separated and expensive (logistically) theaters to operate in and that we need to field appropriately scaled and sustainable systems to fight long wars, we would have the money for nice things like T-X, LRSB, etc... Oh well, rant complete and we've moved on since then but still just another missed opportunity...

The Amazing OV-10 Bronco Was Never Allowed To Meet Its Full Potential Good article on what could have been with a video on the YOV-10D NOGS

General Mattis for president

Yes I would also prefer to go back to UPT vs SUPT but that is another thread. The advanced trainer phase is there to raise daily standards, fly a more complex / faster aircraft and execute / manage more complicated training missions. Is flying a simulated tanker, air drop or form ride in a T-1 as demanding as the real thing nah but it is to develop those personal traits, habits and attitudes that will build a responsible aircraft commander who can manage and be part of a crew or formation, keep the mission in mind while keeping the crew focused, and fly the aircraft Not trying to be preachy but it would be a big foul on the heavy community to turn loose on them guys going to the FP position who only flew one type of aircraft and did not have that next phase to develop before being winged and sent to the FTU. Just my two cents.

copy thanks

God bless the Utah Guard Soldiers Punished For Blowing Military Resources On Smutty Photo Shoot

Question for IFF grads: Did you fly any sim profiles prior to IFF flights and has anyone seen if there is a requirement for the 38 replacement to have this capability in its sim?

Yeah, thought that might be the case too. Think that was a D model 15/16? I understand how that could happen, I have never had to piss so bad as when I was solo v FAIP in a Tweet and he loved aggressive offset trail, I was on the end of the whip and he was just about max performing his jet so that gatorade I drank just prior to step was about 6Gs heavier for as long as we had airspeed or gas in the MOA. Still was the most fun flight I have ever done in the AF bar none but I just about gave up towards the end but he called BINGO first and I barely made it to the MX shack after we shut down.