Generals warn of 'geriatric Air Force' - CNN.com



If I were a CIC, I'd want to give my military everything they asked for although that could set a dangerous precedent for them to over hype the need. Do you think the military over hypes the money requests? I'm of the opinion that a big and well funded military is the most important things a country can have.





On a second subject, what is the relation between the F15 / F16 and F22 / F35? The F35 replaces the F15 as the air to air fighter and the F22 is mainly for air to ground?

It's the reverse. F-35 replaces F-16 as your common fighter-bomber, and F-22 replaces F-15 as the high-end air superiority fighter. Except it appears that F-22 is so expensive that there won't be enough to do the job.

I’m all for a big military, but I don’t think anyone has a doubt that they pad their requests. They know the game, and know how to play politics.


The F-22 is the latest generation air superiority fighter, so it’s primarily a replacement for the F-15. The F-35 will be the new generation multi-role strike fighter; it will replace the F-16, F/A-18, A/V-8B, A-10 …

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Election 2008 – Addicted to Placebos

Add that to the "wisdom" shown by those suggesting that our defense spending be cut in half, and there never will be...

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Sayeth John Drake - 10/13/08: "OK, you're right, I admit to LYING"

Danny, I served in the US military so I have some (a teensy weensy bit of) perspective here. All military budgets are rife with fraud waste and abuse. We need to give our men and women the best equipment we can, but we need to tighten up the slack. I also believe that we need to charge other nations for our protection. Example - If South Korea wants a continued US presence, they need to pony up the $$$. Any other country where we provide protection and security by our presence, including European nations, need to send check too. If they refuse, we should leave.

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I think at this point there needs to be a focus on an immediate increase in spending and I think this is a time when deficit fear has to take a second seat . . . I believe later on there should be tax increases. Speaking personally, I think there are a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax at a point down the road and recover some of the money."
-- Barney Frank, October 20, 2008

IMO, it suggests that the F-35 is nowhere near as super duper as its touted to be. The USAF wants a few more F-22s as an insurance, in case the next generation Flanker can eat all the silly JSFs for breakfast.

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Either that or let them fend for their own and get out. Thanks for the replies.

I noticed the F35 made its maiden flight in Dec 2006 but is only scheduled to enter service in 2011. Commercial aircraft usually test for 2 years before entering service. 4-5 years seems awfully excessive don't you think?

Um, I've got news for you, the US don't provide protection in Europe. You just use the place as a staging area. Leaving would be a net loss for you. I imagine the UK would be delighted to keep your nice Echelon station, though.

Not at all.

Fighter aircraft generally fly under far more arduous conditions than commercial aircraft. Accordingly, they need to be tested more vigorously, and for longer periods of time...

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Obama's New "57 State Patriotic Pin":




Sayeth John Drake - 10/13/08: "OK, you're right, I admit to LYING"

You are from France? You must have never studied history. If the USA did not exist you'd be speaking German today......or Russian.....

No worries though, you'll all be speaking Arabic soon.

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I think at this point there needs to be a focus on an immediate increase in spending and I think this is a time when deficit fear has to take a second seat . . . I believe later on there should be tax increases. Speaking personally, I think there are a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax at a point down the road and recover some of the money."
-- Barney Frank, October 20, 2008

Commercial aircraft don’t have the high performance and stealth characteristics to deal with, not to mention the VTOL version. I think they’re actually rushing the program a bit because they’re planning on a lot of export sales to bring down the unit costs.

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Election 2008 – Addicted to Placebos

I wasn't trying to provoke you, psycho, I was making a simple statement of fact, so no need to get excited. Just make a tally of all the OOBs in the EU nations ( might take some work, but hey) and you'll get more troops and more equipment than the US have, except in a few specific areas, Airborne radars, for instance. Plenty of tanks, artillery and aircraft, though. And there's no more Warsaw Pact, in case you haven't noticed, and now we have more strategic depth for defense.

The point is, your bases in Europe are really quite handy. For you, that is. You've got to land those aircraft somewhere before they go bomb the Middle East, right?

No need to get nasty and start name calling. I thought the French were supposed to be sophisticated? Maybe you're an immigrant?

My point is this : France and the rest of Europe lived under the blanket of US power and protection for over fifty years. Together we rebuilt Germany and defeated the USSR. Shouldn't we be compensated for that? I think we should.

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I think at this point there needs to be a focus on an immediate increase in spending and I think this is a time when deficit fear has to take a second seat . . . I believe later on there should be tax increases. Speaking personally, I think there are a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax at a point down the road and recover some of the money."
-- Barney Frank, October 20, 2008

They'd prefer to compensate us with wine, shitty food, and women who've never had a razor anywhere near their armpits...

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Obama's New "57 State Patriotic Pin":




Sayeth John Drake - 10/13/08: "OK, you're right, I admit to LYING"

I say give the Air Force the aircraft & weapons it needs, and any other branch of the military for that matter. No questions asked. Of course, that isn't to say there aren't problems with military spending. The Military-industrial complex has wasted plenty of tax dollars, but then again the MIC impedes the level of quality in tools our troops receive as much if not more than a lack of funding.