Quote:
Originally Posted by Aktungbby
You are overlooking the economics of the whole thing too. Anything with a jet (we got lots)can be used once retro fitted and with the excess ground pilots wanting to make their promotion "gates", there is no lack of personnel who really know how, including ex airline guys(formerly USAF 10 year captains) with miserable retirements like my old ROTC crowd. Plus when one IS lost there is no loss cost insurance-wise to the family or long term rehab issues(PTSS). For once the battlefield axiom applies: to every expensive problem there is a cheap solution (stinger missiles vs Hind Helos; Liberty ships vs Uboats etc.) and we have the cheap solution to our own expensive (manned plane) problem at hand. Since the Raptor is so expensive and with no practical opponent to fight, unmanned is the way to go. The WWII US bomber, with 4 officers and 6 sergeants had to make 8 trips to "dehouse" German workers and factories and thus pay for itself (break even on men, machine and ordinance) against the rehouse cost of those workers. Cold ruthless calculators 'a calculatin'! The game has not changed much.  |
Yeah you lost me at the point you started rambling about promotions.Sorry but I see nothing in that post that has anything to do with a OF-16 or a UAV I may have missed something relevant in the text wall.