Pursuit and seduction are the essence of sexuality. It's part of the sizzle.
Hard to deny. But, in combat, the end result is death. Terminal sizzle—so to speak.
Preferably avoided. Let’s think this through.
The justification for the much troubled and costly U.S.’s F-35 fighter is that it is significantly less expensive than the F-22 (which wouldn’t be hard) but has most of its capabilities except stealth—and is stealthy in a head-on situation.
Stealthy, by the way—in this context—means impossible (or very difficult) to detect with radar. In essence, you can’t be seen--which means you are unlikely to be hit except by accident. With reference to the latter, let me quote the attack helicopter pilot’s aphorism: “Big sky, little bullet.” Yes, fire from the ground can be very intense, but most of the sky will still be unaffected by it—especially since you can fly at altitude and maneuver in three dimensions.
Guided missiles are another issue, but if you can’t be seen in the first place—because you are stealthy—they are no longer a threat either.
Well, such is the theory. The reality is more nuanced. Firstly, stealthiness—in relation to radar—is a relative state; and, secondly, radar isn’t the only way of detecting an aircraft. You can see it with your eyes, pick up its heat, locate it acoustically, or detect its electronic emissions. And, if you are really wily, you will combine these various detection methods in one sensor package.
The sophisticated and subtle Swedes have done just that and claim that their new Gripen can detect low radar cross-section (RCS) targets at distances compatible with beyond visual range missile launch.
This raises an interesting question: How is it that the Swedes can get so much more bang for their buck than we do?
The U.S. F-35A, at $85 million, for instance, costs roughly twice as much as the Gripen—even if you believe Lockheed Martin and the Air Force (which no sane human being would. In fact, Win Wheeler, director of the Strauss Military Reform Project, calculates the real cost of the F-35 to be $181 million per aircraft—excluding development cost).
The Navy carrier capable F-35C version, based upon the 2014 buy, comes to $252.3 per aircraft—which would buy over five Gripens and leave you enough change to buy yourself a large helicopter.
The MICC—the Military Industrial Congressional Complex—is screwing the U.S. taxpayer—and has been doing so for decades.
Who has oversight of all this? Why Congress, of course.
But they are part of the problem!
Just so.
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