F-35A Lightning II fighter jets from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, fly in formation over the Utah Test and Training Range, March 30, 2017. Pentagon officials announced April 14, 2017, that the Air Force is deploying a small number of F-35A fighters to Europe for training. (U.S. Air Force photo/R. Nial Bradshaw)
Michael Peck, National Interest: Did the Pentagon Just Admit Stealth Technology May Not Work Anymore?
A new report makes some stunning claims.
Did the Pentagon just admit that stealth technology may not work anymore? Or that America must be ready to face a future where its airpower doesn't control the skies?
DARPA, the Pentagon's cutting-edge research agency, has quietly raised these possibilities as it searches for future technology to fight the next war. And stealth technology may not be the answer.
“Platform stealth may be approaching physical limits,” says DARPA.
The agency also admits that “our acquisition system is finding it difficult to respond on relevant timescales to adversary progress, which has made the search for next-generation capabilities at once more urgent and more futile.”
Read more ....
WNU Editor: All good things always come to an end .... including advances in military technology.
The key is just not to get caught spending too much money on it...shoot too late.
ReplyDeleteIf they are just now getting to admitting that the technology might not work anymore and given the maddening tendency of US officials to overestimate our capabilities while underestimating those of adversaries and potential adversaries, this likely means the technology no longer works and has not worked for a long time.
ReplyDeleteThere were reports that Russian fighter aircraft were able to achieve a superior position over ours over the skies of Syria fairly consistently. Perhaps it was then that our people found out first hand that the stealth technology doesn't work.
Now hopefully the problem is being worked on. While I have cautious confidence in POTUS, the rest of our government not so much. Hopefully they will prove me wrong.
ReplyDeleteB Poster, I can't find a single article that confirms your statement about Russian pilots and their positioning abilities. Unless one uses articles on transport planes and similar craft. There was one statement of Russian origin that appeared to be inaccurate and which was immediately refuted by the AF.
Links? My search involved 6 pages of Google articles. I gave up after that. That was all Google had under the parameters I specified.
I certainly would appreciate your sources. Especially being a taxpayer who has helped get these things in the air.
Thanks, Roger
Roger,
ReplyDeleteThe editor discussed this several months back. Essentially the Russians claimed to have bested the Americans "nearly every time." The editor dismissed the Russian claim as well essentially stating he believed the Americans were under restrictive rules of engagement.
While I respect him and value his opinions as well as his practial experience, very respectfully I don't that explanation "holds water." 1.》 To order your pilots to allow themselves to be put in situations where the enemy could kill you at a time of their choosing would be incredibly demoralizing. 2.)You risk the life of the pilot as well as the loss of very expensive planes should the enemy pilot become trigger happy. 3.)You hand an adversary an unearned public relations victory.
Did the Russians make this up? It's possible. After all what government hasn't fudged the truth to try and make themselves look better.:-) After all as I recall tge USAF denied the Russian claim.
I tend to discount the claim that the Russians made this up. 1.)The denial by the USAF seemed rather drab to me almost like someone who desperately wants to bury uncomfortable information and make it go away. The media never really followed on this and, at least publicly, neither did the government. After all it doesntfit the American superpower narrative/myth. 2.)In contrast the Russians seemed very enthusiastic about this. While the enthusiasm could be faked, this type of chicanery would be EXTREMELY difficult to pull off. 3.)The Russian pilots involved received medals awarded personally by Vladimir Putin as I recall. If this was part of an elaborate PR stunt, it would be beyond demoralizing for the pilots who actually knew the truth as well as being difficult to actually pull off. (Point 2.)
While my analysis could be off, I think it highly likely that Russian pilots and planes bested ours over the skies of Syria. At the end of the day, when information is incomplete, we must make judgment calls based upon our knowledge and experience.
I also try very hard to challenge my preconceptions and account for my biases. Sometimes I still get it wrong.:-)
I would add the known tendency of the US government to both overestimate our abilities while underestimating those of adversaries and potential adversaries furthwr reinforces the position. Such facts would be uncomfortable for nany of the powers that be. As such, they would want to bury it.
Careers and cherished ideologies have been built on the American superpower myth. Tbings that undermine this are uncomfortable.
When confronted folks tend to "lash out." Attack the messenger!! The media/Democrat world view is dissolving before their very eyes. We've sern how unhinged they've become.
Perhaps the editor can provide us with the approximate date that he posed on this. Thank you very much for the reply.:-)