Posted on 09/21/2013 2:04:31 PM PDT by ClaytonP
One of the most distinctive features of U.S. military power is the Air Force’s fleet of heavy bombers.
....
However, after 80 years of steadily developing better bombers — basically, since it entered World War One — the U.S. ceased spending money on new long-range strike aircraft following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
There aren’t many bombers left.
All of the bombers are old.
No new bomber is waiting in the wings.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I don’t want this POS regime to have any more power than it already has. We’ll rebuild once the $h!7 is flushed outta offlice.
Can new B-1’s be built at all?
It’s a miracle the B-52 is still flying. Under Obama America’s Air Force will look like the patched up fleet of 1950s autos still plying the streets in Cuba.
The youngest B52 is older than me. And I am on my second midlife crisis.
Plus the nuking from Space is a Sure Thing.
(faster too)
Ps: your link hits a 404 error.
Sometimes GREAT design (and designers) transcends.
The next war will bear no resemblance to the previous ones, though some entities continue to profit mightily from selling outdated tools to governments who believe it must be fought the same way.
We chopped a buncha older B-52's to make the Ruskies happy.
I kinda like the B-2’s.
All branches said they cannot function in any wartime scenario or even minor spats like Iraq if sequestration is fully implemented.
After the fire, the Navy will scrap the brand new USS Miami which would cost 400 mil to repair.
The Army cannot repair damaged vehicles because personnel cuts will make that impossible.
There is no money for infrastructure upgrades and little for repairs.
The last time I visited AMARC (aircraft boneyard in Tucson, AZ), the entire B-1 assembly line was sitting out in the desert under the sun and stars. Who knows if it is still useable? That was years ago. They have probably melted it down for scrap by now.
Our bomber nuclear leg of the triad is B-52s and non-stealth cruise missiles (the AGM-129 being retired) and B2 with ancient B61 and B83 gravity bombs. I admit I am no expert, but gravity bombs? Against S-400 SAMs?
And concentrated at only three bases??? Maybe a “bolt from the blue” is unlikely, but why invite it with a tempting target?
It seems we are using old systems with old tactics against a SAM threat that continues to evolve, even against stealth if you believe the Russians.
Maybe it is time to retire the bombers, like the battleship, and focus on missile technology.
Thanks. Good read.
While not deployed as cavalry, the boots and saddles Spec-Op warriors found that older methods sometimes served best.
I recall quite a few military pundits saying close quarter combat was a thing of the past so maybe we should abandon the bayonet. And yet....
Just thinking out loud here, but if there were another war where long range bombers were needed, it would be over before we could dust off the blueprints.
No. No tooling or manufacturing capability. Gone.
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