Pierre Sperry was one of John Boyd's "fighter mafia" colleagues and I don't take his criticism lightly (please note his column was published in Jane's Defence Weekly and was just reprinted by CDI). It was Colonel Boyd who stressed the importance for a fighter to have a high thrust to weigh ratio.
Reduced to its basics, Boyd's work hinged on thrust and drag ratios. * * * The E-M Theory, at its simplest, is a method to determine the specific energy rate of an aircraft. * * * In an equation, specific energy rate is denoted by "Ps". The state of any aircraft in any flight regime can be defined with Boyd's simple equation: Ps = [T-D/W]*V or thrust minus draft over weight multiplied by velocity. http://www.jjraymond.com/books/nonfiction/boyd.html
I guess they’re just desperate to have some semblance of ‘mass production’ to help keep the cost down.
Regardless of the problems, we need revive some of Cap Weinberger’s dedication to research and development, especially in air power. Air is fast becoming more important to any victory. Maybe McCain will see the need for that when he sits in the oval office. [I hope.]
Boyd and the fighter mafia were right in the 60s. They were still right up thru about 1985, when radar missiles went from pieces of junk to very reliable. When AMRAAM hit, Boyd became a relic.
Radar and face-shooting heaters now have a higher probability of kill than a gun shot would. Data links make sneaking behind someone very difficult.
I ‘grew up’ with F-4s in the 80s. Before I left the USAF (officially retire 1 Oct...), I had a chance to work on testing some of the new equipment. Targeting pods, precision munitions, data links between multiple radars - there is a whole new world of fighter technology. The author of this piece doesn’t seem to understand that!