Clark Griswold

More dreams come true for NK... North Korea Shows Latest Submarine Missile Test LaunchDecember ejection test appears on state-run television days after nuclear test It's the raw excitement of the narrator that really brings out the victory of the worker's paradise...

Not full scale deflection from the subject of this thread but getting there... Historical video on the operational concept of the Tradewind... Basically, you get self deployment capability into an amphibious setting for about a rifle company sized unit and a couple of vehicles / artillery / supplies with a built in tanker capability for probe & drogue for a CAP to support about 600 nm from base. Not sure if the Chinese decided they want to do this with their seaplane (eventually) but for their artificial islands and any possible plans to seize other islands, atolls, reefs, platforms, etc... this could be viable, relevant and not that expensive a capability to build. They're making noise about expanding their outer chain of islands: China: We Can Seize More Islands In South China Sea. If you wanted to avoid the sub threat (assuming the air is permissible) you could keep the flag planted and defended in a lot of places way out there.

Ditto There is a cool factor and nostalgia that I love too. Not to stretch logic and credibility but there is an argument to be made (sorta) for a modern seaplane for Coast Guard missions (SAR, LR maritime patrol, etc.) but given to state of acquisition / development I imagine the requirements inflation monster would push it thru FL450 in development cost even if you took an old but proven design and adapted proven systems to it or vice versa, of course this is just me pontificating on what only appears to be be straightforward and easy... yeah, just slap some J model motors on, glass up front, it all work no problem... still as a taxpayer I'm for it...

Not bad but if Congress and the Navy get drunk and irresponsible, they should fund a modernized R3Y Tradewind Totally a valid requirement because if China gets cool new toys then damn it if we shouldn't also... but just another expeditionary capability to add to their mix.

New year, same problem... Military age males unaccompanied from the ME http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/jan/05/stringers-threat-san-diego-southern-border/# Military level capabilities demonstrated by drug cartels http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2015/12/DHS-Drug-Traffickers-Spoofing-Border-Drones/124613/?oref=d-channelriver And the transnational connection to drug cartels and terrorists continue... http://freebeacon.com/national-security/investigation-collusion-between-terrorists-and-mexican-cartels-is-a-threat-to-u-s/

equivalent in the right circumstances Follow on, I hope this convinces libs of the foolishness of nuclear disarmament, not responsible, verifiable reductions to reasonable levels of nuclear weapons but the idea that you could ever trust that all nuclear weapons have been eliminated when a piss poor communist thugocracy can scrape enough together to have fission and now fusion weapons and the means to deliver them. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missile-idUSKBN0UK02P20160106 The more things change the more they stay the same.

H bombs... http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/asia/north-korea-seismic-event/index.html

Another from pop sci - Chinese seaplane AG-600 http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/eastern-arsenal/china-building-worlds-largest-sea-plane and one from Defense News http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/naval-aviation/2015/03/28/china-seaplane-islands-scs-claims-spratley-reef/70542218/

Unfortunately - this is very clever. ‘Call of Jihad’: ISIS Turns to Video Games, Hollywood to Reach Recruits

YGBSM Chinese Wild Weasel. http://www.popsci.com/china-builds-its-own-wild-weasel-to-suppress-air-defenses

And here's how many times he went to YouPorn...

Doesn't mean it is right or correct with the times, missions, systems and cadre of today. The AF can not remain static or damn near so and remain relevant. I demand the world accept that I refuse to use manning & personnel constructs other than ones made 60+ years ago and everyone else will just have to help me with all the inefficiencies & self-inflicted wounds I give myself and all the problems it causes to the other team members I am supposed to support, that is piss poor head in the sand thinking. Like it or not, the way we do things needs to change just like our force composition changes. Do we still have hundreds of BUFFs and 135s sitting alert waiting for the call? No, because the requirements changed so we changed with it. Do we need every cockpit to be filled with a regularly commissioned officer with a bachelor degree because that is a good/only way to ensure we get a high quality individual or at least have a good chance at selecting that? No, we have a reasonably educated general population to hire from if an AF WO program were to come back and if we mostly recruited from the enlisted cadre for this (which would be my choice) we have an above average population set in terms of education and first hand appraisals of performance from their time as E's. This is another test of history that the AF is sadly failing. We have a growing requirement, we are legally allowed to have a manning solution that is less expensive, less overhead intensive, more easily scalable for adjustment and would be highly effective at solving a current and growing problem while simultaneously solving other manning problems at the same time (fix the RPA pilot problem, one less bill to be paid from other stressed aviation communities i.e. 11Fs, 11Ss, etc... and another SUPT grad not having to be sent where a new 18X WO could go). We have way more reasons to change than to Keep Calm and Carry On. I feel like this is the AF vs. reality sometimes...

Yup

Interesting - just thinking about this as I saw the article come up for enlisted RPA pilots, I thought it would be (an AF WO program) mainly recruited from the enlisted cadre, just thinking the sharp E-3 to E-5 range typically but also with off the street hires and really done on "simmer" type of manning with the capability to go up to full boil if required. I wouldn't restrict it to just that range but just what I imagined it to be, if the AF had or has the common sense to change with the times. The RPA enterprise but in other carrier fields (ABM, Manned ISR SO, Airborne Linguist, etc...) lends itself to this; it could be a path for better retention, career development / progression / professionalization, etc... the RLO's in these fields will naturally be threatened but it is just the best manning construct unless it will no longer be a sin or exceptional to be a passed over Capt on the way to 20 years AD service in the Reg AF.

I am sure this has been brought up before (not just in this thread as referenced above) but since the announcement that enlisted RPA operators has come out - has anyone with an ounce of influence just offered that we bring back WO's for the RPA enterprise first, see how it works then maybe expand to manned platforms? Dorr has a 2013 article on the subject: http://archive.airforcetimes.com/article/20130325/NEWS01/303250026/The-time-bring-back-warrant-officers-now but following the announcement that they are looking at them for RQ-4 ops, I have heard nada on this idea, anyone else have anything else?

2 While it might be a pain in the arse, operating out of Greece is possible, numerous bases and put another carrier on station. Cut the need for Incirlik and send a message to the new Sultan. Greece will let us operate there for some euros (a lot of euros) and set up a massive refugee relief operation there for humanitarian and PA purposes, making the point that Erdogan sucks and is not needed, not that he actually does shit to stop ISIS anyway. He and the rest of the "Freedom and Justice" party cronies are looking for an Ottoman Empire 2.0 including putting their tentacles into the Balkans, Europe should be wise and start to put him into check. Turkey's further integration while they flirt with quasi Islamism at the expense classic liberal values needs to be paused.

As long as you have 'Merica en mass in Europe you are not that worried, if we would wisely draw down our European footprint for some deterrence and keep a few MOBs ready for use if conditions warranted it, then our friends might upgrade total capability. As this idea doesn't promote the force structure of the past and buying shit we no longer need, I am not holding my breath... Copy dat

that was money well spent... /s Found another article on the subject of poor acquisition choices of the Phillippines AF, IAI offered them low time Block 60 Kfirs with technical support for 20 million per tail. FA-50s came in at 38 mil per tail and have no combat record, where as you could almost buy two Kfirs for the price of one, get support and is already operated by Sri Lanka and Columbia. http://aviationweek.com/awin/iai-looks-east-sell-updated-kfirs

Yup, the boss is right always... right boss... Or I would say focusing your AF on getting a capability (or only a small amount of a capability) you probably don't need and/or in an amount that is not operationally relevant. 12 FA-50s will not deter China but 20 or so Scorpion Jets or light attack helos is a lot of capability to deal with Islamic insurgents in their backyard. Their country, their decisions though.

Small jump in ORM. Forgot to add to the blue light special list, the AIDC F-CK-1Ching-kuo. Never change that designation. Another in the 30 mil range and would have the side benefit of really pissing of China. But as you said, this will probably have the main benefit of being able to realistically handle something bigger (sts) later on but with a Pacific Pivot, this could/should fall under Building Partnerships, a core function now for the AF.

Nope - everybody has to pay the piper at some point and that time is coming... damn it... Unrelated to the post on 6th gen concepts but a question for BO.net - where is the US or European answer to aircraft like the JF-17, MiG-35 or F/A-50? Relatively inexpensive to acquire and operate 4th gen multi-role fighters (price around 30 million) with a per flight hour cost in the $7500 or less range? FMS are getting vetoed by the State Dept but having those relationships, supply-sustainment-training-etc... are key to building inroads. Other nations are taking advantage of this and moving into this market: http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/strike/2015/06/16/pakistan-jf17-thunder-export-china-rafale-egypt-africa-south-america-argentina/28818897/ Why this matters is that it keeps your defense industrial base solvent without the need for a big ticket 5th or 6th gen new MWS program that's a budget buster to keep them in the black. We need to field a Freedom Fighter for the 21st century for our price conscious allies (Philippines, Columbia, etc..) not just for them but for us.

Sixth generation concepts from Northrop & LM: This Is Northrop Grumman's Idea Of A Sixth-Generation Fighter, But Is It Feasible? http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this-is-northrop-grummans-idea-of-a-sixth-generation-fi-1747680825 From the article; Since the F-35 procurement plan spans multiple decades, and supposedly will continue on well into the 2030s, where will the money come from for yet another advanced fighter aircraft? Especially considering this one will be even more complex and capable than the F-35 by a large margin. That is the rub, where the hell is the cash or political will going to come from to fund this as you are still buying the F-35?

UFB