Until the PAK-FA 
and the J-XX appear on the scene, then the challenge to maintain air dominance begins.
Posted on 10/06/2009 4:24:22 AM PDT by myknowledge
The U.S. military’s historic dominance of the skies, unchallenged since around spring 1943, is increasingly at risk because of the proliferation of advanced technologies and a buildup of potential adversary arsenals, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the service’s chief for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Speaking today at the Air Force’s annual convention in the Washington area today, he provided a wide ranging assessment of what the QDR team is calling “high-end, asymmetric threats.”
Emphasizing the increasing capabilities of “anti-access weapons,” such as long range precision missiles, Deptula said pilots in future wars will not operate in the “permissive” threat environments of current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Deptula, best known for crafting the Desert Storm air campaign, said potential opponents have learned from U.S. operations and will use precision arsenals to stop a buildup of U.S. airpower near their borders before a war even begins.
Without functioning ground bases, aircraft cannot operate; the Air Force is investing heavily in shorter ranged tactical aircraft, such as the F-22 and F-35, along with a host of older F-15 and F-16. Overseas bases from which these aircraft operate are now threatened by increasingly accurate ballistic missiles in Chinese, Russian, Iranian and North Korean arsenals, Deptula said. The newest models are road mobile and exceedingly difficult to locate.
Enemies will use cyber attacks to target U.S. command and control networks and satellite relays, the smooth functioning of which the military is now completely dependant. “Space is no longer a sanctuary and our satellites are at risk… for five decades the U.S. has led the world in space,” he said, now, “the space domain is perhaps the most likely arena for threats to achieve leveraged effects,” against U.S. operations. The Chinese are developing anti-satellite weapons, as are the Russians, and the number of countries that can launch sensor-loaded satellites into space is increasing.
Because of improvements in over the horizon and passive radars, U.S. aircraft will be detected long before they reach their targets. “The area that we operate in free from detection is rapidly shrinking,” Deptula said, “our adversaries are going to have capabilities that we’ve never operated against.” The newest generation surface-to-air missiles, such as the Russian SA-21, have ranges exceeding 300 miles and the ability to target low flying aircraft, and will likely be exported.
Speaking to the more traditional realm of air-to-air combat, so dear to his audience’s heart, Deptula contends that the U.S. technological edge there is eroding. While “fourth generation” fighters are no match for the most advanced U.S. fighters, Deptula reminded the audience of the Russian export success with the MIG-21, some 12,000 of which were built, and operated by over 50 countries.
Russia and China are both developing “fifth generation” fighters that will be widely exported at prices that will undercut the F-35 price tag. Both nations will thus acquire “near F-22 performance… while attempting to proliferate the [aircraft] to perhaps near F-35 like quantities,” he said. “We may be facing a fighter threat capability in quantities we’ve never experienced before.”
Its not just in the technology realm that America’s enemies are seeking advantage. Unable to counter the U.S. dominance in long-range strike, enemies in wars among the people use information operations to influence perceptions about civilian casualties and deny the U.S. ability to leverage its asymmetric advantages. Deptula said media savvy opponents who skillfully manipulate global public perception are an example of successful “Effects Based Operations,” a doctrinal term that has recently fallen into disfavor, except among air power advocates.
Until the PAK-FA and the J-XX appear on the scene, then the challenge to maintain air dominance begins.
as planned
Erosion coupled with planned destruction.
Not a pretty picture.
Obama’s response to this will be to shrink the AF even more. And Gates will be his cheerleader.
...*thinking back to Clinton’s Albrights the US is too strong statement*
Then the deciding factor will remain the quality of the pilots. And the Air Force needs to make sure that doesn’t change.
not to worry, the bomb is here to make us weaker.
Going back to his days in Chicago he knows the skinny unarmed kid seldom started a fight. If he can weaken our military enough we will never start a fight. If we never start a fight the whole world will love us.
What he seems to have forgotten is how many times that skinny kid got his butt kicked.
I worked for General Deptula during Desert Storm and he went through requal twice while I was the Superintendent of F-15 Training at Tyndall. He’s an exceptionally bright guy and a top notch pilot.
“Then the deciding factor will remain the quality of the pilots. And the Air Force needs to make sure that doesn’t change.”
Yeah, let’s make sure they don’t ever start to select pilots on the basis of gender or race over pure unadulterated merit.
Might erode the edge a tad.
U.S. Air Dominance Eroding because the Aviation-industrial complex put so much money into the soon-to-be-overwhelmed-by-remotely-piloted-and-missiles F-22 and F-35.
His point was that the potential enemies have improved missile capabilities that can take out the base. It doesn't matter if the airplane is manned or not if a missile takes out the fuel, ammo, and support personnel needed to get it airborne.
Threats to Air Supremacy - ironfalcon100's critical review - Part 1/4
Threats to Air Supremacy - ironfalcon100's critical review - Part 2/4
Threats to Air Supremacy - ironfalcon100's critical review - Part 3/4
Threats to Air Supremacy - ironfalcon100's critical review - Part 4/4
It’s difficult to pick up what Greg Grants goal is here.
He seems to trash every one of our systems, as he plays up the threat across the board. Well I do agree that threat is growing and is serious. But what do we do about it?
The F22 is the premier fighter on the planet, because it can super-cruise better than any other craft. It is also highly maneuverable in the air over it’s targets, or against other aircraft. It’s one more necessary tool in our arsenal.
With tens of thousands of top level aircraft out there around the world, we need more than 260 of the F22s. We need a few thousand of them.
Look, I realize those other aircraft aren’t top notch. Still, if you have literally thousands of them out there against 75 of your own, you’re in a world of hurt.
He talks about airfields at threat in theater. Yes, that’s why the F22’s super cruise is crucial. It can be stationed over 500 miles away and be on target in 30 minutes with fuel to spare.
What are we doing to keep ahead of the enemy? I’d like to know. We look like were in a holding pattern. Well China, Russia and their minions around the planet are not. And that includes their Marxist cabal in the U.S.
Thanks for the link.
I think it would have been more accurate to say he is complimenting the enemies capabilities, instead of trashing our capabilities.
None the less, we need to get to work building up for what’s to come.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Space to follow. If he has 8 years, the military will be decimated.
When you consider that we're replacing 1400 F-15s with 187 F-22s, it's pretty sobering. There is a point where numerical superiority can overwhelm technological superiority. If an enemy started off an attack with cruise missiles aimed at our in-theater bases and followed up with waves of fighters, it wouldn't take long to knock enough of them out of action to influence the outcome of a war. Without air superiority our ground troups would suffer high casualties and our bombers would have no protection against enemy fighters.
Mbynack, please take into account ~224 of the F-15s are F-15E Strike Eagles, aka Mudhens, and they would remain in USAF service due to their lower average airframe ages, along with their ground attack capability, than the air superiority A/B/C/D variants.
Also, take into account that ~120-130 of the Raptors will be in ACC, PACAF, AFRC and ANG units, while the remainder will be for OT&E (422d TES, 411th FTS) and training (43d FS).
F-15E Strike Eagle.
There is a point where numerical superiority can overwhelm technological superiority.
True, in the case of U.S. Army M4 Shermans and Soviet Red Army T-34s exploiting their numerical superiority against the Wehrmacht's advanced Tiger and Panther tanks. Quantity has a quality of its own.
This could repeat itself in the Pacific, where the technologically advanced F-22 Raptors are pitted against the numerically superior Shenyang J-11B Sino-Flankers of the PLAAF.(you know what that stands for)
There is no way that many Raptors is going to win air superiority, let along air dominance in two, maybe three theaters of war. A high-tech war for air superiority against a numerically superior adversary, the last thing a USAF squadron or wing commander or general would have to face, but no choice but to fight.
Why am I excluding the legacy F-15 Eagles? They may be the best 4th Gen fighter to ever roam the skies at will with the crown of best air superiority fighter, but now, the Eagle has handed the crown to her 5th Generation successor, the Raptor.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.