Posted on 03/21/2011 12:19:12 PM PDT by Fennie
It has nothing to do with the cost and it never should be. You send in your best asset to do that kind of work. Yes a B-52H can also do the mission, but it has a radar cross section the size of a barn door and consequently it is at risk. Libyan air defences might be old, but anyone can get a lucky shot off. Why give the enemy any chance to down and capture Aircrew?
This is no different to any other conflict that the US has been involved in. The B-2 was even used in Afghanistan in 2001 to take out the air assets and old Soviet era SAM and radar networks still in Taliban hands. It is designed to be used and not sidelined simply to save money. Let the professionals get on with their job rather than worrying about cost.
Have it your way. I can understand your desire to see the best in this, but I still maintain it is the wrong thing to use it and to even be in this ‘kinetic military action’ to begin with.
If you’re going after radar guided SAMs, you use an ARM, a HARM or an ARGM, heck, even a SLCM if the location is fixed.
Libya’s SA-2s, 3s and 5s aren’t much of a challenge unless they’ve been upgraded, and the assorted MANPADs (which are altitude limited). If the 100+ CMs we shot didn’t get them, the what the hell did we pay all that money for them?
Things have changed. Put yourself in the shoes of an air planner? Why give any enemy a chance to down an aircraft? Putting scores of aircraft up purely for SEAD is not the route to go when you have B-2s able to weave their way through the radar networks and bomb with impunity.
Not much of a challenge. Tell that to the aircrew who have to fly in the face of danger? SA-3s downed both USAF aircraft over Yugoslavia in 1999. It doesn’t make any difference if they are old as there is no guarantee that countermeasures or tactics are going to be 100% effective.
SLCM’s can’t do everything and they can also be targeted by AAA barrages over heavily defended areas. SLCMs are just a tool like any other weapons system. You don’t think that all those SLCMs functioned as advertised or weren’t shot down?
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