2 ms·
My read is that the "loyal wingman" thing is a ploy to get around all the pilots / expilots in Air Force brass who might otherwise gatekeep anything they think
by mikkupikku 8mo ago
My read is that the "loyal wingman" thing is a ploy to get around all the pilots / expilots in Air Force brass who might otherwise gatekeep anything they think is a threat to the careers of human pilots. These people want the Air Force to be about hotshots flying planes; this is part of the reason the US spun off the space stuff, because Air Force brass is institutionally incapable of taking anything other than manned flight seriously.
- rustyhancock 8mo agoReally loyal wingmen are just an extension of jets. Ultimately a carrier strike group could achieve many of the missions a F35 can through cruise missiles, ballistic missiles etc. What an F35 provides is a sensory platform deep into enemy airspace. But with the F35 being very expensive, and required to stay silent in RF to maintain stealth it's further desirable to have a loyal wingman out there. The whole thing becomes one large sensor network with th added weapons. It makes most sense in a near adversary situation and as it stands that particular scenario is why the F22 is not exported.