The Air Force's 4 Biggest Fears

Stealth and Hypersonic Bomber

From Popular Mechanics:

Think that U.S. warplanes will always rule the skies? Think again, say Air Force officials.

The United States Air Force is the most capable, best trained and most expensively equipped in the world. They can reach across the globe to deliver humanitarian supplies or a 2000-pound bomb, defeating any enemy airplane or radar system that stands in the way. So what is there to worry about? Plenty, says David Deptula, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, who briefed attendees of a recent conference on the dangers facing American warplanes. For now, given the low-tech nature of the insurgent enemies the nation currently faces, the service's technology has outpaced the threats. But in the near future, every part of a USAF mission could be compromised by a foreign military using sophisticated gear or a guerrilla force employing clever strategies. "Threats aren't standing still," he says. "We can't afford to stand still, either." Here's how Deptula says an enemy can counter the Air Force, each step of the way:

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My Comment: UAVs that can operate globally while possessing better stealth technology is probably one of the many directions that the "thinkers" are now thinking about for the U.S. Air Force.