Re: Hmmm...maybe...


Message posted by Magoo on April 17, 2003 at 19:58:53 PST:

One of the British FOAS (Future Offensive Air System) proposals has a C-17/cruise missile combination. The missiles would slide out the back of the transport and ignite after being steadied by a small parachute.

I'm not sure the transport bomber would have alot of fans, mainly because it cannot be brought into play until total air dominance has been achieved. A B-1, B-2 or B-52, and most of the tac bombers (F/A-18C/D/E, F-14, F-15E etc) can be used on day one, but they can also be used on day two and beyond. These aircraft can also fight their way out of most situations either by EW (B-1, B-52), stealth (B-52) or by shooting back (the rest).

Any short term operating savings made by using a cheaper platform would probably be offset by the cost of developing a transport bomber system. then there is the cost of operating some kind of fighter support just in case. Even now, long after Baghdad and the other major cities have been seized and the war effectively over, all high-value air assets such as AWACS, J-Stars, tankers etc are still using fighter escorts.

Magoo


In Reply to: A Proposal, of Sorts.. posted by Rocketfox on April 16, 2003 at 17:48:21 PST:

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