ClearedHot

Only for seven more weeks.

God I hope not... You could not be MORE wrong on your costs. AT-6 and A-29 will come in around $20M per bird, Scorpion will be likely be slightly higher, but not by much. AT-6 is NOT $1K per hour...in 2012 OSD was rating it at $1.6k per hour and that has most certainly increased by now. Scorpion was actually rated at $2.2K per hour. This should be a far different competition than LAAR, the name says "OA-X" and that name alone implies a lot more requirement and capability than LAAR. While not an A-10 replacement, it is certainly being sold that way in the halls of Congress. In my opinion AT-6 in on an island because it has the least capability and the least room to grow. Yes it has a mature logistics backbone and an established depot, but this is a 300 aircraft program that is going to be in combat for 25-30 years and the AT-6 is out of room to grow. A-29 has some room to grow and I apparently a group of ACC IPs who are trying to shape the competition in its favor, but the A-29 is NOT made in America and that is a BIG deal these days. Aside from the fact that Trump signed a "Buy American" Executive Order last month, the Kansas delegation is STRONG and they are going to play on the "American jobs" theme because their huge plant in Wichita is now idle and they are about to lay off thousands of people if they don't get the OA-X contract. Please tell me how it will play out if A-29 wins and we shut an American Plant to buy A-29 which is made in South America. Yes I know final assembly is here, but go look at the manufacturing breakdown (all the heavy lifting and parts manufacturing is down south), add that to a logistics backbone that requires us to buy parts from Brazil for the next 30 years (you do realize the real money comes from sustainment...this would mean billions going to Brazil). My $ is on Scorpion but it depends on how the assessment is conducted, the jet has a LOT of room to grow and has some game changing capabilities. USAF did a study a few years back looking at LAAR and manned ISR and the number of aircraft required to provide the coverage offered by these aircraft. SPEED and RANGE played a huge role in that study, not because USAF thinks jets are cool, but because of the time/space continuum. The ability of an aircraft like Scorpion to go high and fast (400 knots in the 30's), to the AO actually reduced the number of aircraft required to provided constant coverage, it also reduced the number of bases required because you could stage from a greater distance. Scorpion is going to have almost TWICE the range and the ability to get there in a little more than HALF the time. In essence a two ship of Scorpions could easily replace a four ship of A-29 in both capability and coverage. Combine those capabilities with American jobs and a Buy American directive and the jet has a strong chance to win.

The SAS "assessed" the Pucara a number of years back.

"Duties at"...I get it brother, do the work but don't get the full credit. However, you are kind of arguing against yourself here. Rated Staff entitlements are almost always WELL below 100% so "duties at" is used to get help on the staff by going around the rated allocations and matches AND to get some credit (OPR push and strat), for development. Having worked at a few staffs I understand the rated officer disdain but when the majority of this board constantly bitches about the shoes being in charge and the "idiotic" decisions that are made, keep in mind that is the byproduct of non-rated folks shaping things. You mentioned AFSOC/A5, in the ideal world you would have one person from each crew position on the staff to represent the needs of that community, never seen it happen. In fact I've traditionally seen one AC-130 crew member cover every crew position on three different models of the gunship. I hear what you are saying, I really honestly get it, but there is a balance somewhere in the middle where sharp rated folks get to influence the long-term decisions (while getting appropriate staff credit for development). By the way, how can you swerve your car into oncoming traffic on highway 98 when it is at a complete standstill?...just sayin'!

Huh? You mean like FAIPS?

What bloated staff? Are you on a deployed staff? Last I heard the rated staff manning was sub 75% and the AFSOC rated staff was anything but bloated.

It is not about the plane it is about the mission and I believe the rationale in the AFSOC case is FID. Dusting off the Marine Corps Small War Manual, something about training partner nations to provide for their own defense. I see the logic, but AFSOC is feeling the pilot manning pinch like everyone else and I can't see how they are going to find pilots for this "new" project. Now if they want old washed up guys to come back on contract and fly it

Too bad, as you mentioned STOP LOSS is a viable retention tool and we obvious need tools like you.

Amen.

Understood and I confess I don't know all the ins and outs of Guard service and the Airline rules. I brought it up from past experience seeing folks come back on active duty for a few years to get a full time retirement.

Can't you take MIL LEAVE for a few years to do this gig? I thought this was how some Guard folks came back to get an active retirement?

Having served staffs from MAJCOM, HAF, to OSD I have not seen the bloating of rated officers that is continually mentioned, actually quite the opposite. We absolutely MUST have a rated influence in the training, equipping and strategy development apparatus, again we MUST have that influence. The bloating I have seen is with civilian and contractors who continuously shuffle and delay paperwork between multiple redundant offices.

Until there is a titanic shift we are stuck with this system.

The words below were stolen from a friend, yesterday started the execution phase of Operation Eagle Claw. If you have never read about what they did it is well worth researching how these braves folks had the "guts to try." "Somewhere around today, in 1980, three MC-130E from the 1st SOS departed Diego Garcia BIOT bound for Masirah Island, Oman. After a brief, 7 hour, flight we would arrive to find two big wooden boxes with stuff dropped off by a C-141 a day or so earlier. In those boxes were tents, cots, and air mattresses seemingly left over from European theater of operations in WW2. Have you ever tried to drive a wooden tent stake into the hard surface of a desert island? The ever resourceful E's converted one of the boxes into an outhouse, so we did at least have that going for us. And so the adventure began."

The absolute root cause of so many of the current problems. "Picking" an officer as a captain long before their leadership is truly proven and pushing them uphill regardless of their flaws creates caustic entitled assholes. When we end up with folks who destroy the morale of units, commit sins that are white washed away (right after they hammer a subordinate for the same sin), and show questionable leadership while flying only to have the superiors say "we can't afford for him/her to fail, we have invested too much and we need another GO." This is why the institution is failing and this is why the concerns of the masses do not resonate with most of the current leadership.

Hoping for the best.

It would seem Foxnews knows more about the GBU-43/B than you do.

Chang is an Olympic level troll, no one could seriously believe any of the tripe he posts on this forum, it is simply meant to throw fecal matter at the oscillating disk. I almost feel sorry for someone who has so little going on in their life that they have to invest this much energy just to cause a reaction. Sadly his comments represent the worst of everything that is wrong with our Air Force right now, the sickening result of a fighting organization converted to a corporation then repeatedly dunked in political correctness. The shoes thrived in a corporate environment where everyone is a "warrior." While I believe every Airman is important and makes a valuable contribution, if you don't take lives or cross the fence with your life at risk, it doesn't mean you are a lesser person, but you most certainly are not a fucking warrior. I hate to be the old guy who points out everything that is wrong while yelling get off my lawn and granted I do have a unique view now that I am out and safely wrapped in my DD-214 Blanket, but for fucks sake something has to change and make people like Chane a distant memory.

There are rules that govern STOP LOSS and I would advise folks to start researching now. I have not read the legislation, but I believe it has to be for a limited duration...of course that would be the Air Force following the rules. I think there are also special compensation rules for bonuses and such.

The final epic collapse of integrity brought to you by the senior leadership of the United States Air Force. Out of one side of their pie holes they proclaim to "care" and want to address the issues that are causing people to leave. Out of the other side they go behind your back to Congress to change the 1500 hour rule and threaten the Airlines with Stop Loss. Goldfein, Rand, Everhart and the others have abdicated any shred of integrity that remained...I am truly disgusted to say I know them and trusted them. They can't Stop Loss you forever (the will certainly try), get out NOW! Don't waste a day if you have the option, this is not going to get better anytime soon.

Terrible news. I've known Rocky for many years, he was quite the character and remained connected to aviation through a group of remote control aviators in NW Florida. The group of "Old Guys" were my heros, most were former military with incredible stories of service to their country. I wish you all could have met them...Dr Jack who lied about his age to enlist and serve in Korea, he used his GI Bill to complete Dental School and raised six kids almost entirely on his own, his wife died shortly after the sixth child was born. He was so proud that he got all six through college. There was another character named Ugo Ferrari who served 28 years on active duty and another 24 as a government civilian developing weapons. And there was Rocky who dealt with the injures form being shot down for the rest of his life but never asked for special treatment. He was gruff but would do anything for anyone. Rest easy gentlemen.

Yup, they are still using them.

And two whole bombs...

Initial results say they destroyed 20 Syrian aircraft on the ground and the base is largely destroyed.