JSOW-ER...the real future for carrier strike...

Dave over at National Interest MUST be trying to place nice with the F-35 program cause the article that he wrote has VERY little to do with that plane even though he tried to give it top billing.

Check what he was really writing out, the JSOW-ER, below...

Given the increasing premium on range, last year in June the Navy award Raytheon a contract to fund testing on a new extended range jet-powered version of the JSOW that the company had developed using its own money. The extended range JSOW-ER has been tested out ranges as great as 264 nautical miles, which is nearly four times the range of the conventional JSOW-C. The testing was supposed to have been completed by this March, however, it is not clear that the Navy has completed those tests.

The addition of the JSOW-ER—should the Navy chose to eventually buy and field that weapon—would be extremely useful for the carrier air wing. With a 300 nautical mile range standoff range, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet—which will make up the bulk of the carrier air wing into the 2040s—equipped with the JSOW-ER would be able to engage targets protected by advanced air defenses such as the Russian-built S-300V4 or S-400. Both of those enemy weapons have ranges beyond 250 nautical miles.

Thus, standoff weapons such as the JSOW-ER could be what keeps the carrier air wing relevant into the future as advanced air defenses proliferate around the world. Indeed, such weapons might be the key to keeping non-stealthy fourth generation fighters relevant for all of the world’s air forces.

Story here. 

Interesting isn't it.

The US Navy has never come off the battle cry of it's former CNO.  Payloads OVER platforms.

The emphasis on the range of strike weapons just reinforces that notion.  To think that the F-35 because its stealthy will be able to do work against advanced air defenses is silly.  No man or woman with half a brain cell working will send a manned airplane within 70 miles of an active and integrated air defense system!

They'll use UAVs with glide bombs or missiles.  They'll use cruise missiles but they won't use manned aircraft till those sites are degraded.

The US military needs to rationalize its formula for success in the future.  The very notion of flying a plane, even a stealth one, close to enemy defenses is a waste of resources and time because it will not be done.

They're still trying mightily to stop the death spiral but between budgets, other procurement priorities and common sense, its the only path left for the F-35.