SIDENOTE:
If this works as advertised then the small boat problem is a thing of the past. One UH-1Y, a AH-1Z or an MH-60R could take out a swarm of 20 boats.
This is just smart. It is my belief the EA-18G is the best aircraft on the planet being built today, and one of the main reasons the British have chosen exactly wrong to not put EMALS on their CVFs.I mean really?
Here is what you need to know about AFSB - it is basically a MLP with a module that converts it into a LPH. The AFSB has a fairly large aviation capability that makes HMS Ocean look like a baby cousin. AFSB + MLP is a remarkable capability that I for one hopes to see get built and tested thoroughly, because it is a two ship system for a legitimate forward operating base at sea, and it can scale well with existing Sealift capabilities and by plugging in T-AKEs. It is certainly an 80% solution, but if it works it is an appealing capability that will go well beyond what the US Navy is using Ponce for - indeed the combination would finally get folks in the expeditionary space to start really thinking about what is possible with Sealift capabilities when you aren't married to the enormously expensive enormous amphibious ship designs.
In fact, the truth is, it's a program we can't afford not to complete. That's because the alternative - keeping the 4th generation aircraft we have - is an unacceptable solution for many reasons.Go to his website to read the whole thing...and make sure you follow the links. Suffice it to say that the critics are on their last ropes, they placed their bets on a public deception campaign that didn't pan out...they thought that having a few pawns in the Senate would get them over the finish line but that didn't work either, so now they're playing this...and Why the F-35 Blog, blows that away too.