And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
The Warthog is not an air superiority fighter, but the F-22 is. Should've kept building more F-22s, and upgrading the Warthog indefinitely. Or at least until we come up with a true ground support replacement for the A-10.
I'm not an expert, but I hear the Warthog is useful today only because we are using them against seventh century jihadis who really have no defense against air power. Against a modern army, the hogs would be, supposedly, shot out of the air right away. Hence the trend to the more modern fighters.
We could have built a more modern Hog without spending a zillion dollars on it and give it to the Marines, whose job it is to kill seventh-century jihadis. That's the war we are fighting, right? I realize that there is a future war -- against a nuclear armed power, but absent civil wars, the McDonald's rule still holds.
There has never been a war between two nations that both have McDonalds franchises. Think on that one for a moment.
There is some merit in a multi-mission aircraft for the Marines. This may prove to be a good replacement for the Harrier. Due to its complexity and weight, it will have limitations in performance, and maintenance and support will present challenges. But these things are really expensive. Could this money have been spent better elsewhere? Probably. Tactically, there is a role for the MMF.
Perhaps a larger concern is Strategic. I have damn little confidence in the current administration's foreign and military policies. Their half-assed efforts in the Middle East are encouraging flare-ups all over the world. Where might Americans be fighting in the next generation? My guess? Anywhere there are muzzies.
@LL: I have been told there are Taco Bells in Ho Chi Min City. (Which should have been re-named R.M.Nixon City. But I digress.)
You could buy 10 Warthogs for the same price (without the inspiring background music). I understand that the Hogs are not air superiority fighters...
ReplyDeleteThe Warthog is not an air superiority fighter, but the F-22 is. Should've kept building more F-22s, and upgrading the Warthog indefinitely. Or at least until we come up with a true ground support replacement for the A-10.
ReplyDeleteI'm not an expert, but I hear the Warthog is useful today only because we are using them against seventh century jihadis who really have no defense against air power. Against a modern army, the hogs would be, supposedly, shot out of the air right away. Hence the trend to the more modern fighters.
DeleteWe could have built a more modern Hog without spending a zillion dollars on it and give it to the Marines, whose job it is to kill seventh-century jihadis. That's the war we are fighting, right? I realize that there is a future war -- against a nuclear armed power, but absent civil wars, the McDonald's rule still holds.
DeleteThere has never been a war between two nations that both have McDonalds franchises. Think on that one for a moment.
There is some merit in a multi-mission aircraft for the Marines. This may prove to be a good replacement for the Harrier. Due to its complexity and weight, it will have limitations in performance, and maintenance and support will present challenges.
ReplyDeleteBut these things are really expensive.
Could this money have been spent better elsewhere? Probably.
Tactically, there is a role for the MMF.
Perhaps a larger concern is Strategic. I have damn little confidence in the current administration's foreign and military policies. Their half-assed efforts in the Middle East are encouraging flare-ups all over the world.
Where might Americans be fighting in the next generation?
My guess? Anywhere there are muzzies.
@LL: I have been told there are Taco Bells in Ho Chi Min City.
(Which should have been re-named R.M.Nixon City. But I digress.)
=BCE56=