I would miss the Bone

[Plane]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100628/us_time/08599200002000


Many times I have seen them take off in the twilight , afterburners casting long twin daggers full of violet diamonds, as wepons go they are great works of art.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I think the days of manned bombers is pretty much over. These things might be pretty, but they are inefficient. The old B-52's, the B-2 and the various other slower planes will do everything these can do that needs doing.

Keeping an inefficient aircraft in the air just to provide jobs is a waste of money.

Perhaps their ornamental function would be their best use: paint them in pretty colors and use them as huge lawn ornaments for AF bases.

[Kramer]

I think the days of manned bombers is pretty much over. These things might be pretty, but they are inefficient. The old B-52's, the B-2 and the various other slower planes will do everything these can do that needs doing.

Keeping an inefficient aircraft in the air just to provide jobs is a waste of money.

Perhaps their ornamental function would be their best use: paint them in pretty colors and use them as huge lawn ornaments for AF bases.

you know about as much as Obama of these sorts of things -- which is ZERO

[Plane]

I think the days of manned bombers is pretty much over. These things might be pretty, but they are inefficient. The old B-52's, the B-2 and the various other slower planes will do everything these can do that needs doing.

Keeping an inefficient aircraft in the air just to provide jobs is a waste of money.

Perhaps their ornamental function would be their best use: paint them in pretty colors and use them as huge lawn ornaments for AF bases.

The B-1 bombload is not much diffrent than the B-52 , but it can get it there sooner.

In stealth the B-1 is in between the B-2 which has excellent stealth and the B-52 which is as stealthy as a dump truck.

The decision really should be made on the basis of need.
What are our future enemies going to be like?

If they are sophisticated the B-52 will have to be escorted and fight their way in. The B-2 would come and go like a ghost.

Unsophisticated enemies ,... well do we have to dump lots of bombs on unsophisticated enemies? If we do every plane we have will work.

Is this predictable?

[Xavier_Onassis]

I really doubt that any sort of stealth aircraft was ever needed: we never fought the Russians and it looks like we never will. The Chinese are hardly going to attack the US and risk not getting paid back all that money we borrowed. The B-1 and B-2 were a colossal waste of money. Keeping a plane flying just to provide jobs is a dumb idea. You could hire people to dig and fill in ditches for the minimum wage at a fraction of the cost, and fewer non-sustainable resources would be used up.

I would say that drones are the defensive and offensive aircraft of the future.Cheaper and more effctive, and no pilots need to be trained or lost in combat. It just isn't as much FUN to fly a drone. Tough.

And no matter how little I might know about anything other than sports, I know five times as much as the unfortunate and anonymous Kramer.

[Plane]

I really doubt that any sort of stealth aircraft was ever needed: we never fought the Russians and it looks like we never will.

Yep

That is what we wanted them for and they did well.

We probly do need less now , but which to let go and which to keep is a weighty decision.

[Xavier_Onassis]

We keep the one that is cheapest to maintain, of course. I suppose they could mothball the ones they don't keep out in Arizona somewhere, for possible resurrection.

Keeping an expensive aircraft in the air to provide jobs is not a valid reason. Neither is keeping them around for their aesthetic value, as they don't need to fly to appreciate what they look like: we have cameras and recordings of these things in flight that are really cool to look at.

Again, drones are the future, combat aircraft are the past. Too bad drones are not as much fun to fly. But we pay a million dollars to train a pilot to fly a thirty million dollar plane for defense, not for the amusement of the pilot.Neither should we build or maintain these things as a make work project.