So it looks its best dressed up like the un-stealthy aircraft it was designed to replace. Got it.

I guess this image is fairly common around many of the old Soviet naval bases. Sad in a way, but mostly not very sad.

The Maverick is in no way shape or form an anti-ship missile.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Art History or another programme. The basics of an university education show at least, and more often than not, better decision making, rhetoric and discourse. More often than not (repeated emphasis), someone with an university degree is more mature and has a better understanding than someone…

Yes. With a HEAT warhead. You do understand the difference between an anti-ship and an anti-tank missile, don’t you?

Here’s a thought. Cancel the LCS and the Zumwalt and use the money to build a modern battleship. You know, a ship that can actually survive in the littoral waters the LCS was designed for and do the mission the Zumwalt was designed for, but cant get close enough to shore to actually accomplish.

When you sign a paper stating that you can be put to death for revealing government secrets, you tend to follow instructions.

and now let’s give thanks and recognition to the F-117 design team who’s help made it possible

One of my favorite pictures of the F-117

Any idea on whether it was an actual fishing vessel or a “fishing vessel” of the sort that might be operated by an intelligence service?

By giving up maneuverability and high top-speed performance for enhanced stealth and greater fuel and weapons capacity, while relying on lasers instead of maneuverability for self defense, little is lost while much is gained.

It is quite cheap actually, as you surmised. The Topol-M and the Yars are already equipped with ablative skin

Who here’s a Horten?

Also, for whatever reason, if you crash in the middle of the deck, you’ve got, at most, half a runway surface. If something goes wrong at the front, you’ve at least got the rear 3/4 of the deck. (Maybe you can only land on the back half - but it still gives you 1/4 deck for parking/service/etc.)

The majority of the drone force needs to be privatized. Let the Pentagon own the hardware and oversee the missions, but subcontract the operations of the drone itself to private entities who can handle the job with greater efficiency and cost effectiveness.

The danger is...if the rear gear ‘hooked’ on anything at ALL, as soon as they tried to lift off again, it would have pivoted the aircraft around the part where they were hooked, and they would have been inverted and in the sea before they could drop power again. It would have been totally uncontrollable.

So what happens if the aggressors win?

Until then...we will be ready!