The Not so Subtle Moral Decay of the US Military

Before the US officially entered WW2, FDR enacted "lend-lease" and began sending billions of dollars worth of military equipment [trucks, tanks, aircraft, etc] to Stalin's USSR to fight against Hitler's invasion [some say "liberation"] of Bolshevik occupied Russia.

 

Nonsense! You need to go home and mind your own bees wax!!!

 

How so?

 

I read an analysis of drones in Foreign Policy magazine by a former U.S. Air Force officer. His exact words were

"in a major war, drones would be falling out of the sky like confetti"

 

Whoever he is, he's an idiot. First, with drones no one cares how many are lost.
Second, we're talking about fully capable combat aircraft with no need to devote weight to human life support.

Air Force Swarming Drone Program to Take Next Step
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Skyborg Could Develop Multiple Drones for Many Missions
Hitchens BrDefense

 

The F-16's Replacement Won't Have a Pilot at All | Skyborg
www.popularmechanics.com › us-combat-jet-drone
Jul 9, 2020 — The U.S. Air Force plans to have an operational combat drone by 2023. The service plans to build out a family of unmanned aircraft, known as ...


The US Air Force Will Invest in Low-Cost, Disposable Warplanes
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Oct 26, 2019 — Unmanned aircraft are cheap and can also take risks manned aircraft cannot. A mix of manned and unmanned warplanes could help the Air ...

 

Troops on the ground depending on them for air support probably care a great deal

 

Not going to happen. This is strictly a political ploy by the U.S. Air Force. Nothing more.

 

Plenty will survive. The point is numbers.

 

The Air Force is "driving toward" 2023 for initial operating capability for Skyborg, says AFRL Director Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle.

Skyborg Could Develop Multiple Drones for Many Missions
Hitchens BrDefense

 

And you believe it?

 

Absolutely.

 

Because it is what you want to believe obviously.

 

I spent forty years in that sector. I know how serious those budgets are.

 

The F-16 can't perform at more than 25% or so of its capabilities with a human pilot on board, and it's an old plane. Over half the weight and space and more than half the costs are due to having a human pilot. Of course the trend is do away with that and greatly reduce costs of personnel and weapons systems. There is also a political hazard to it as well that is under-appreciated.

 

You do know that the number of Gs that a fighter can pull is not remotely the most important factor in combat capability don't you?

 

You do know I didn't say it was, but since you brought it up it is most certainly an important one, along with having the space freed up by not having to worry about life support for a human pilot for more electronics and weaponry or fuel or whatever in the same airframe.