The GAP is the number of aircraft . Legacy F-18’s are nearing a limit that has been raised many times. How do we know when it’s too many flight hours? AirFforce proved it with the F-15, fly till the wings come off in flight and pull back a couple hours.

And saying “we cannot afford it” is no excuse to halting F-22 production. We can certainly afford it! The government has been spending billions on far less useful “stimulus” projects, so if they need to add less than $2 billion to the defense budget in order to maintain low rate production of the F-22, so be it.

Fixing the procurement mess we have does not mean halting production of things we need for potential future conflicts. It means getting all of the things we need (which includes new fighters, bombers, and ships) at lower prices, without sacrificing capability.

What about this;
Scenario 1 — if an outlaw in the Wild West had a bounty of $10,000 and it was guaranteed to cost you $20,000 to claim, would you try to catch him? — Even if you were guaranteed success.
Scenario 2 — same outlaw and bounty, but this time it would cost you $2500 to claim and you had 85% chance of claiming it. Would you try to catch him now?

Scenario 1 — 2000 F-22’s
Scenario 2 — 187 F-22’s and F-35’s mix as planned

Just my thoughts?!?

But in Danielruss’s and soonergrunts case, they are so enthralled with numbers, they are both blind and ignorant to future air threats, and lost capability that will never be replaced, like the capability and dominance we have now.

True, the USA out matches all peer advisories, But will the USA outmatch the same peer countries tomorrow? Not likely. And when we send in those C-17s in full of soldiers to take the next hostile airfield, the question should be asked by all those peace fools like danny boy and sooner guy is do we have the aircraft to escort those planes in so those planes do not get shot down on their way to drop those soldiers. Not quote the obsolete numbers on paper.

My question for Robert Gates, and the Obamamessiah is, can we try you idiots for treason for endangering lives of the people in the country because of the over frugality of defense spending?

Recon, having the F-35 replace the whole fleet was dreamed up long before Gates came on board.

Rotary wing aircraft are not the only sort of effective CAS. Look at the success of the A-10 for example. Faster aircraft can be used to deliver effective precision guided support too, the problem is target identification which can be further improved through various ways.

AF may have had a pint, during the Cold War: but thank God neither side ever had to really get off their asses.

Good thing, Gates has figured it out, even if Deptula hasn’t.

Asemmtric warfare is a real boots ont eh gournd kind of thing, and the only air support that has ever proven effective is rotary wing, which we already don’t have enough of.

Not unless Osama has a fleet of Migs we don’t know about.

Also, it would destroy their economy as well.

In fact they could wreak much more havoc and damage on us just by deciding over a month’s time to trade in Euros versus dollars. It would hurt them certainly, but it would also finish off what last year’s speculative bubble almost did to the value of a dollar.

A decade ago, when an EP-3 Aries maritime patrol plane impacted with a J-8 Finback interceptor, it did not precipitate a war. Why? Because China needs us to buy their goods and we need them to manufacture them.

Respectfully,

Daniel Russ
Civilianmilitaryintelligencegroup.com

It looks like Lt. General Deptula can see $ million in post military income based on his insider influence at the dod evaporating into thin air, breaks my heat.

The only thing I disagree with Sec. Gates on is China developing an aircraft carrier and battle group. Sec. Gates don’t listen to you Admirals but read some of the current literature on China’s military industrial complex. The consensus on China obtaining an aircraft carrier this century is to by one. The only country to have an inventory of used super carriers is the United States and it is unlikely that the Hawk, Sara, Commie, Ranger, Indy, JFK or any other moth balled U.S. super carrier will be sold to China or anyone else.

ALLONS,
Byron Skinner

B: “The U.S. air fleet is projected to have more than 1,000 F-22s and F-35s before China even fields a fully operational fight-generation fighter, Gates said…”

Oh, give me a DAMN break. I see now that we’re conflating F-22 and F-35 to hide the fact that less than one-fifth of that 1000-a/c fleet are actually F-22. Or maybe Gates is suggesting that the F-35 is the exact equivalent of an F-22? (Although I’m sure that will be the spin we see in a few months when the F-35 buy gets cut.)