“Im guessing that this will be the last piloted fighter.”
Yes and no. It will probably be the last super expensive manned plane. But I suspect the battlefield of the future will be swarmed with updated propeller driven support aircraft similar to the Super Tucano. Then again, robotic swarm technology may make them obsolete too. The point is that the guy on the ground needs somebody above him or he’s just so much meat waiting to be butchered.
We have to stop designing vehicles so expensive that their loss impacts the entire war effort. Incidentally, I think stealth will prove to have limited value in the long run as counter technologies, which are cheaper and faster to develop, will proliferate. We will end up with hundred-million dollar aircraft that are too valuable too risk and too vulnerable to use.
I am old enough to remember the infamous TFX...the previous time the DoD went for One SIze Fits All. In the end, the F-111 saw limited service as an Air Force strike bomber and ECM Platform.
We need to change the DoD back to the War Department...which is their job. We need the Services to determine what their missions are, individually, and acquire the right platforms for those missions, for the services. At best, subsystem modularity would be appropriate, but for Gods Sake, stop trying to do everything with one widget!
And, put a rational evaluation on the value of tech.
The point is that the guy on the ground needs somebody above him or hes just so much meat waiting to be butchered.
Agree. When I was in Nam (1965/1966) the A-1Skyraider was still the primary ground support aircraft along with Huey gunships. Btw, I recently read an article stating that a Super A-10 is in the works for CGS instead of utilizing the F-35. Thinking thats a good idea.
The point is that the guy on the ground needs somebody above him or hes just so much meat waiting to be butchered.
Agree. When I was in Nam (1965/1966) the A-1Skyraider was still the primary ground support aircraft along with Huey gunships. Btw, I recently read an article stating that a Super A-10 is in the works for CGS instead of utilizing the F-35. Thinking thats a good idea.