Iraq never shot down an F-117.

Well said. Thank you.

the word tow was used in the title to make the article more accessible and relatable to the typical readership that has no experience of helicopters

My first thought was it could be a G induced blackout, though these guys are the best of the best and are trained to recognize when that is imminent.

Did you discuss the F-35 program with Major Andreotta, or was this just about seeing the helmet?

Also, limping home sure as shit isn’t useless to the guys on the ground that you didn’t drop a bomb on

And not being able to perform the job from 30k feet at 600 knots is worse.

No need to outmaneuver a missile that’s not locked onto you.

Im sure the guys on the ground, when they’re pinned down at close quarters really want some fast mover lobbing a JDAM from 30k feet based on GPS coordinates instead of having a Hog pilot loitering on sight with 1350 rounds of DU 30mm shells who can see the good guys up close and hit the bad guys.

...if the USAF gave more of a shit about working as one part of an effective whole.

Sure, not getting shot is better than getting shot and surviving, but how certain are we that it is any less likely to get shot?

Pave Penny IS a legacy pod. It has no ability to designate a target; it requires a separate designator from another aircraft or ground operator.

LANTRIN’s a legacy pod too. And they’ve been retired for some time now. LITENING is good, but that pod takes up a weapons station on the A-10.

The structural obsolescence…

do-it-all-well-but-do-nothing-amazing

Survivability:

The USAF officer corps has proven, time and again, that their culture is categorically incapable of wasting money on EVERYTHING.

A jet engine has problems when the fuel is warm....

If the B-21 wants to go before Congress and pass into full existence, it needs to make the case that it not only won’t repeat the flaws of the F-35, but that it will serve genuine needs of American security.

The ejection seat poses a danger to lighter pilots.

Well, for starters, I talk with Marines instead of basing my opinion on inter-service prejudices, or attending an Army-administered, 5-day “Joint” interoperability FAM course (that’s often taught by civilians from the Department of the Army whose experience is often VERY dated from the current CONOPS) for Army/Air…

Consider the source? I have, and here’s why...

• The USMC has been in both the rotary and fixed-wing tactical aviation business since 1912. That’s slightly more experienced than graduating JFC.

• The Marines have used the Hornet (20mm gun) and Harrier (external 25mm gun) for CAS since the mid-1980s. Before that, they…