Posted on 06/09/2017 8:52:04 AM PDT by Mariner
The B is slower than the A but it is still supersonic. Just 1.25 instead of 2.2.
The USN and the USAF run STRATCOM. They share resources. If the USN needs bombers to perform a mission they request them from the USAF.
Good point. They Navy doesn’t have B1s.
I ran across and article that the USN was considering bringing Kitty Hawk out of reserve and back into service because of the ongoing issues with the Ford. That would give us an additional flat top if it can be put back into action at a reasonable cost.
Yeah, but that was when the bombers were smaller than the carrier ...
Not so.
At altitude the B-1B is supersonic.
At 100ft it is high subsonic.
Kim Jong Nork for his own good needs to make a quick but thorough study of the US military buildup in the Persian Gulf in the 6 months before Desert Storm. It might give him a caution and a sense of foreboding.
The carriers steam at 300 mph.
The carriers steam at 300 mph, and they have flight decks that can expand up a mile long!
I guess the B-1B is the biggest, most powerful tactical bomber ever.
Takes a lot of ponies to get supersonic on the deck. Also the took a lot of sharp edges of the B-model to reduce its radar cross-section. May have cost the plane some stability at trans-sonic speeds, which would ruin your whole day very quickly.
Possible if you had a pile of money. But the “Shitty-Kittie” was stripped of her arresting gear prior to her mothball. Her engineering spaces were in very bad shape because of missing a major overhaul. Too many deployments and too little yard time will shorten a vessels life.
During her final deployments the Kittyhawk was essentially the world’s largest helicopter carrier.
That’s a good way to look at it.
And why not?
START II took them out of their strategic role, removing all “nuke” capability. The Russians inspect them annually.
But they deliver 20-25% more payload of all types than the B-52, have newer avionics/EW/Radar etc., and can fly at 100ft altitude @ 700mph, or at high altitude @ 900mph.
And their combat radius is over 5,000 miles without external tanks or refueling.
A formidable strike weapon by any measure. A dozen of these would ruin your day.
True but the money would be a forgotten if we needed an extra carrier for a few years because the Ford class isn’t as advertised and so far hasn’t been. As you say it is a pile of money to be spent somewhere.
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