Four Air Force Thunderbird F-16 Fighting Falcons fly in formation behind an F-22 Raptor for more than 6,000 spectators during the June 24, 2008, air show at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The "Soaring into Solstice" air show provided an opportunity for the local community to visit and get a close-up view and demonstration of the capabilities of the Air Force's aircraft. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eric T. Sheler
War-Winning Concepts Lack Financial Support -- Aviation Week
There are many breakthrough war-fighting technologies available to U.S. Air Force planners, but perhaps only 10-20% of these projects have any chance of being funded for the foreseeable future.
Among the concepts are weaponry—both kinetic and directed energy—to intercept ballistic missiles as they launch and to attack low-orbiting space objects. There also are warheads that destroy, befuddle and misinform enemy electronics. They come in various sizes to fit 1-ton bomb casings, cruise missiles and long–range air-to-air missiles. Cybersurveillance devices and weapons are already being introduced into the service's arsenal; but as their sophistication goes up, so does the price. The brakes are already being applied to all of these and other advanced concepts. Even so, the Air Force had the largest cybersecurity budget of any of the services at $622 million for fiscal 2011, or 34% of the Pentagon's $1.82 billion total for that year.
Read more ....
My Comment: In this era of budget restraint, the Air Force will be lucky if they get 10% - 20% of their new programs funded.
No comments:
Post a Comment