Obama says kill the new bomber and delay the tanker

[pilotyip]

Yes but we can buy what, 300 AC-12's of the cost of 1 B-1? Think of all the rated billets that opens up.

 

[Redmeat]

Our two biggest long term threats, China and India, will not beat us with bombers. They will beat us with economic strategy.

Have you counted how many cars are in the parking lot of your local Walmart?

 

[satpak77]

tankers I can see, yes (kinda like gas stations)

bombers, I am wishy washy on. I don't know if we need to build a brand new bomber, with R/D time, cost, etc etc. We are talking 10 years from drawing board to flightline.

my 2 cents

 

[timmay]

The only good thing that could come out of this is if the Pentagon can learn to cut out all the red tape on these new designs thus lowering costs dramatically. When the Skunk Works built the SR71 (in my opinion the single greatest achievement in aviation since the Wright Bros.) it took them only 18 months to have the airplane flying today without computers! Now it takes close to 10 years. It has gotten so bad most companies are avoiding the military contracts all together. The original cost of the B2 was supposed to be under 500M after all the red tape it now is approaching 2 Billion a copy. I read the government stores warehouses full of paperwork from auditors on these airplanes that nobody has ever read and just like the economy the spending cant go on forever.

 

[LR25]

The B-52 was drawn on a napkin, made into a balsa model the next day.

And when the last rivet was smashed into place, it looked almost identical to that balsa model.

What minds!

And aggreed, Kelly Johnson was a man way ahead of his time.

The P-51 was also another incredible story. From drawings to flight, less than 6 months.

 

[AvroGuy]

both of you guys are describing single mission aircraft. It is easier to do that than it is today. Now a new design has to be multi-mission capable. what ever that is for a bomber..Maybe lowlevel as well as high alt bombing. what ever. When Kelley Johnson was around, they gave him a requirement and kept it at that requirement. Didn't change it every few months forcing the company to redesign. That is what is wrong now.

 

[deadstick]

When Kelley Johnson was around, they gave him a requirement and kept it at that requirement. Didn't change it every few months forcing the company to redesign. That is what is wrong now.

Bingo!

The Army is 1 for 3 in the new helicopter game. ARH and Comanche both died because of this. It took the ARH only 3 years after the 20+ yr debacle that was the Comanche. The Lakota (1 "success") is an off-the-shelf Euro-whopper that, from what I understand, is coming up short. One issue is 130 degree interior temp, no a/c, and you have to keep the doors on/closed. That's great for a medevac -- now everybody gets heat stroke, too.

 

[DOVPILOT]

Where's he next Ronny Reagan when you need him!!!:uzi: Obama uh.

 

[SSDD]

Wouldn't building airplanes create/sustain high paying manufacturing jobs?

I'm just saying...

 

[LR25]

Wouldn't building airplanes create/sustain high paying manufacturing jobs?

I'm just saying...

Sure, in China, India.

Oh, you meant right here in the USA. Them days are over.

Heck, our Gov. cant even get US built heli's to replace the H-3's for Marine 1.