A-10C Thunderbolt II makes a comeback

[nmoore63]

I worked for Boeing after college before coming back to the family business.

They were begging people to buy 747s....
And have you seen the new 767 tanker boondoggle.... oi.

https://www.seattletimes.com/news/boein ... ll-be-met/

Since wresting the Air Force KC-46 tanker contract away from rival Airbus in 2011, Boeing has struggled through $1 billion in cost overruns and written off $1.7 billion in costs to fix multiple design problems.

The government capped the development cost of the program at $4.9 billion, but according to the GAO report Boeing has already spent about $1 billion above that ceiling.

Missed the target by over 20%.... this is the kind of shit that happens under the current military tech development paradigm.

[Speaker to Animals]

I would just update the B-52. Give it better range. Install a wicked ECM and EW system on the thing. No need for stealth. Just jam their shit.

[Smitty-48]

They larded the KC-46 tanker up with all sorts of gee whiz kit, instead of just sticking to the basics, they went for a lot of bleeding edge tech, which, not required for a tanker/transport.

[Speaker to Animals]

They larded the KC-46 tanker up with all sorts of gee whiz kit, instead of just sticking to the basics, they went for a lot of bleeding edge tech, which, not required for a tanker/transport.

KC-135 was just fine. The USAF didn't really want or need anything different.

[Smitty-48]

I would just update the B-52. Give it better range. Install a wicked ECM and EW system on the thing. No need for stealth. Just jam their shit.

That's fine for awhile, but frankly, they can't really fly it forever, if they do try to fly them until 2060 or whatever, they're not going to make it, there's only so many times you can shave that metal down to get the cracks out of it, and each time you do, it gets weaker, they're going to end up with nothing to replace it, when they try to fly it for a hundred years, and it only get to 75.

[Smitty-48]

That's what we do here in Canada, they shave the metal down to get the cracks out of it, then they say "good for another twenty years", then five years later, the cracks are back.

[brewster]

They larded the KC-46 tanker up with all sorts of gee whiz kit, instead of just sticking to the basics, they went for a lot of bleeding edge tech, which, not required for a tanker/transport.

No doubt that distributed some pork to an electronics plant in a key congressman's district. Back to the A-10, I was on a river some years back, in MA I believe, and was treated to a couple of A-10s playing follow the leader at low altitude through the hills. Was very cool, I love seeing that hardware. As was seeing a B-52 up in Maine banking over me at a couple thousand feet when I was a teen. In December I was out in NY Harbor and there was a flight of 3 Ospreys circling lower Manhattan for while in copter mode, then they suddenly tilted and booked south in fixed wing mode. Was weird and cool.

[Smitty-48]

The bottom line is, if the Pentagon can't get rid of all the bloat, the frills, and the pork, then the only way to keep up with the mission set, which is still 1980's like, would be to quit pretending that there is a peace dividend, and go back to a 1980's like budget, which, between $2 and $3 trillion that would be, otherwise, it's all just going to keep hollowing out, like the Canadian military, just on a much bigger scale.

[Smitty-48]

They larded the KC-46 tanker up with all sorts of gee whiz kit, instead of just sticking to the basics, they went for a lot of bleeding edge tech, which, not required for a tanker/transport.

No doubt that distributed some pork to an electronics plant in a key congressman's district. Back to the A-10, I was on a river some years back, in MA I believe, and was treated to a couple of A-10s playing follow the leader at low altitude through the hills. Was very cool, I love seeing that hardware. As was seeing a B-52 up in Maine banking over me at a couple thousand feet when I was a teen. In December I was out in NY Harbor and there was a flight of 3 Ospreys circling lower Manhattan for while in copter mode, then they suddenly tilted and booked south in fixed wing mode. Was weird and cool.

Osprey is a death trap, say your prayers before you get on that bird, yeesh, those are scary mary's. I'll stick with the Chinook, thanks, might be slower, but at least you get there and land safety when you do.

[Speaker to Animals]

Osprey is what happens when people spend our tax dollars on shit that sounds cool but injects a shit ton of risk and points of failure into every mission.

Is it cool as shit? Sure.

Is it a good idea? Fuck no.