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This is likely moot nowadays with drone technology, stealth drones, and modern cruise missiles. They're far more likely to be deployed to take out anti-air defe
by atonse 7y ago
This is likely moot nowadays with drone technology, stealth drones, and modern cruise missiles. They're far more likely to be deployed to take out anti-air defenses before even these aircraft come in.
- monkeynotes 7y agoI often think about what use the modern fighter jet is. I'd be interested to know exactly what role they really play and why a F22 would be deployed risking a pilots life vs. a drone. Maybe the F22 has a bigger payload or more precision?
- detritus 7y agoSituational awareness, jamming and reaction/ping times spring to mind immediately as being areas where having meat in the seat will remain advantageous for a while to come.
- jacobush 7y agoI think situational awareness will remain very important to small to medium size air forces. I can't help but think of the Swedish Air Force. The idea was to be able to strike very hard if absolutely necessary. Otherwise, the air force would not be deployed at all. We never expected to operate in air superiority conditions. It was always about inflicting maximum damage to an invader. In such a situation you are already accepting heavy casualties and higher risk to the pilots seems more palatable if that means more room to improvise to achieve the objective.
- SEJeff 7y agoThis is false. The US military still does SEAD missions with manned fighter bombers. We have no stealth drones capable of this yet. We also don't have hypersonic cruise missiles (yet), so modern cruise missiles aren't great against advanced air defense. A tomahawk flies a lot slower than an F22 as an example and isn't stealthy at all. Any near peer adversary, or one using near peer anti-air (so anything from Russia or China or imported from either) can knock out most of our cruise missiles provided we don't confuse it with ELINT / jamming. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppression_of_Enemy_Air_Defenses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppression_of_Enemy_Air_Defen...
- baybal2 7y agoYep, but you can fire 50 of them
- imtringued 7y agoYeah and the submarine that fired them can just disappear underwater.
- SEJeff 7y agoAnd the air defense assets are often portable. Like the BUK, Tor, or newer Pantsir which pair nicely with an S-300 / S-400.