The X-47 and Super Hornet in a fully mixed squadron are the keys to the anti-access fight.
Canuck Fighter made a comment that crystallized this for me...but I should have just made a bigger deal of what the Chief Of Naval Operations said.
* We can have the UCAV act as a missile truck for our manned fighters. Running out of missiles in an engagement will no longer be a problem.
* We can have 24 hour orbits over Marines in contact with the enemy. No more begging for and hoping that Marine Air gets there in time. It will be there and it won't get tired.
* Its full stealth so it can go where our manned fighters can't. Add a couple of Growlers to the mix and enemy air defense don't stand a chance.
The CNO and Canuck Fighter are right.
The answer is already here. We just need the will to pursue it.
Why not put the Growler pod and payload in a X-47 and with a HARM missile? Or a designator pod and SBD in an X-47 with a JTAC equipped with a ROVER 3 rig?
ReplyDeletethat works! but the bigger question is why buy the F-35 at all if you can have a more effective carrier strike wing at a lower price, able to hit deeper targets with a pure Super Hornet/UCAV mix
DeleteCongress and LM ;(
ReplyDeleteThe Army need to deploys this in the PACOM AO http://www.army-technology.com/projects/advanced-hypersonic-weapon-ahw or the Navy figure out how to put this on ships or subs
ReplyDeleteThe navy could figure out how to put our version in the inventory and the odd would tilt in our favor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9K720_Iskander
The Army needs, and should be allowed to fly A-10's.
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