Clark Griswold

Great concert by these guys in 87 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice Runway independence has a nice ring to it also Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shack That's the best argument against the US-2 but I'm not sure it's a disqualifying one. The cargo door / ramp capability is perhaps a requirement for a mission that may have gone by or one that we will not do in the continuous spectrum of conflict / competition with China and other challengers in other arenas. The air / amphibious delivery of cargo (mass, wheeled vehicles, etc...) may not be what this platform could / should be doing for support in the Indo-Pacific, versus smaller, lighter, on demand deliveries and support of cargo, pax & fires / effects to outposts and teams sustaining, taking, defending and securing objectives (islands, ships, platforms, etc). Taking a look at what the competition is doing, namely the AG600, it has no cargo door and only conventional crew / pax entry doors It appears they are not planning on using this as a means of rapid delivery of outsized cargo to remote locations principally accessible via amphibious ops. As the most likely aggressor in the Indo-Pacific, if they don't see the need to have an amphibious aircraft with a cargo door, we as the most likely defender probably don't either. As our Marine Corps (the principal land warfighter in the Pacific) is moving to a lighter, agile, lower footprint force structure, we as the supporting services should probably OT&E a certain small percentage of our force for that. If they intend to be unencumbered by heavy armor, fighting vehicles and the like then they should be supported by force that supports the light, small and agile. Concur with your point on SOCOM, they like to modify iron not wholesale acquire it themselves (the fleet of platform X). I have no solution to that fact, only the conventional force providers have that much money and wherewithal to buy, sustain and operate an entire MDS, SOCOM ain't doing that so you have to convince the USAF, USN, USMC that it is (amphibious capable air mobility / utility platform) is in their wheelhouse. Maybe AFSOC would see this as an opportunity as the ME AOR is downsized in DoD engagement, not sure, not an AFSOC staff / braintrust guy but maybe... For me, one platform, is interesting but it needs to part of an overall warfighting strategy for the air platforms of the USAF, USN and USMC, for the USAF as a part of ACE. An amphibious mobility / utility platform, a manned multi-role manned tactical expeditionary / dispersed ops capable platform, an unmanned modular expeditionary / dispersed ops platform and a family of systems for logistics and C2 for these systems. A Cactus Air Force that can survive and move, fighting and supporting while under long range fires to its fixed bases and operating sites. ACE is great and moving in the right direction but there is only so far you can go with systems designed and built decades ago with certain parameters and expectations.

Not a bad strategy, not a Guard mission but looking at WX Surveillance as mission set, the Hurricane Hunters getting recapitalization along with the NY ANG with LC-130 ski modification if the US-2 could be adapted to ski ops also the rescue 130s the Guard operates on Long Island and in CA, IIRC the WY ANG operates 130Hs for wildfire fighting during the summer, another customer, just some Reserve/ANG missions off the cuff that I think could be recapitalized with US-2+ legitimately The HIANG or AKANG getting equipped with it also is reasonable IMHO Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Word Just armchair general here but if the Joint Team seriously wants this my two cents would be for a more robust capability versus a niche fleet, a joint purchase of X planes with some tailoring for each of the services buying. For me, a purchase by the USAF, USN, USMC, SOCOM and USCG makes sense, provides a total fleet size that provides for immediate response and surge capacity, a fleet size industry will be motivated and confident in to support and can cover requirements in a very wide theater. Looking at this profile view and just thinking about mods: AR pods and recepticle(s). Boom and Probe/Drogue systems for max flexibility. Military avionics and capabilities integrated well into existing US-2 avionics. ECM, IR, Decoy provisions Hardpoints wired and plumbed on the wings. EO/IR turrret under the radar or wing mounted dual sensors. Wake/Spray might make under the radar not feasible but just a thought. Wideband BLOS blister Rollup door for jumpers with blast deflector and platform. Door gun kit. 40mm or better, floor bracing and anti-recoil provisions. Gun kit not exactly roll on roll off but my requirement would be 3 hour install or removal with 200 rounds. Expendable munitions capability thru doggy door in main door(s). Unpalletized load/unload system. Could be a floor based belt system or overhead railing to get shit on/off fast and with the crew available. That's just my Christmas list off the cuff but IMO any US procured US-2 variant would not necessarily have to have those as we would be buying them for 5 different US customers but the capacity to accept and operate with those if the customer choose to install them. Basically a US-2+ model, not sure if that is one 10% bigger or other what but one size that could fit all.

More practical than a float 130 methinks... https://warontherocks.com/2021/11/a-japanese-seaplane-could-be-the-difference-maker-for-the-u-s-military/

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Yeah but they (the PLAN) can give the appearance of one while the other Lines of Effort are worked. Simultaneously with my hypothetical rapidly deployed air/naval/info blockade would be coordinated actions with all the other bad kids in the classroom (NK, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Turkey, TNCOs, VEOs, etc) and a massive Cyber / Financial attack. The strategy would be distraction in too many places to react militarily in a timely manner NK begins shelling SK islands and minor kinetic actions, fires a missile or two over Japan. Iran begins miming the Straits of Hormuz, harassing and seizing civilian vessels, gets the Houthis to launch new attacks against Yemen and KSA. Russia gets really aggressive in the Baltics and over the Baltic Sea. Venezuela and Cuba release enormous numbers of migrants with support to get them to the US borders, ditto x 10 for Turkey & Russian releasing / pushing ME & African migrants into Western Europe. TNCOs in Mexico and Central America do the same with migrants and destabilization of governments, might even get the ruling classes to abandon their countries, if we will tolerate the Taliban they might tolerate an almost overt narco-mafia state. Assist covertly VEOs for a high profile attack or two, etc.... I would also lean heavily on American businesses in China and sympathetic leftist woke politicians and entities in the US & Europe to argue for a diplomatic solution versus military action, they could also use the debt coercion they have established with their predatory lending in Belt/Road projects to quickly garner support for their position, debt forgiven for support during the crisis arguing for the position of the PRC, etc... Cyber and Disinformation Campaign, dump T-bills and give the stock market a shock, etc... All the Tom Clancy stuff is to just paralyze the OODA loop capabilities of the current regime, too much for them all at once.

The timing is good from their perspective, attack could mean putting Taiwan into check versus checkmate to let them capitulate and give the US / Democrat-Globalist administration a way out without a military response to PRC aggression. If I were the PRC I would enforce a sudden naval, air and informational blockade of Taiwan. Tell the world that this is done and not to interfere and that the PRC would use its full capability to include nuclear weapons against any other nation interfering, if I were the Chinese public relations guy I would make the English translation use the same words as Kennedy’s televised speech during the Cuban Missile Crisis. That’s their angle is to muddy the situation and claim it’s like the CMC and that they have a historical analogous position to use military coercion to change the situation on the island and to threaten retaliation against any interfering power. I don’t think they do but that’s the way I would play it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same. Just my two guessing cents but I think it's even money that the PRC that they will begin actions / invade before or timed with the upcoming mid-terms. https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2021/10/01/record-38-chinese-pla-aircraft-enter-taiwans-air-defense-zone/ They're probing and testing responses, military-diplomatic-economic-informational, to gauge second order effects when they invade. How will the markets react, how will Western media react, how will third countries react, etc...

Australia - not a free country anymore https://www.theblaze.com/news/government-unvaccinated-australians-lose-freedoms#toggle-gdpr

Potentially but there are tech solutions that can probably mitigate or solve issues involving the slow low signature nature of the target Raytheon has a radar that seems ideal for Scorpion: https://www.raytheonintelligenceandspace.com/news/advisories/raytheon-intelligence-space-launches-new-compact-aesa-radar-any-platform?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=AIRDOM&utm_content=_AFA&utm_id=55388813175538883177140&linkId=132696991 Get a software feature to synch the radar and MX-20 sensor and now you got vis ID at 15+ NM easy Out of range of the aforementioned Stinger but that level capability (sensors and speed) would give the ability to scan and secure a typical TFR in an affordable platform Choir preaching but the sermon continues Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Scorpion jet with stingers vice sidewinders Your welcome America Do we want security or not? Do we want capabilities or not? Not everything has to a gold plated 300 million dollar jet burning thru 40k an hour. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The Anglosphere is dying. https://www.theblaze.com/news/new-zealand-kfc-smuggling-covid

True True again. FSW vaporware just doesn't look right, give the first design a straight or slightly swept wing and it might look feasible. The engine pods should be moved further in, almost mounted on top of the fuselage, blended in. Keep the screens I suppose like the 117 had.

Stealth A-10s Not sure FSW and LO mix but keeps the original outline. And on the Attack Aircraft theme another render of the Quiet Attack Aircraft concept from the early 70s

Just beware of a man named Leroy Brown...

Wilco Yeah, the platforms are the bacon to be brought home by Congressman Porkulus and as our short cycle political system works on the premise of "What have you done for me lately?' vs. "Is this the right / best thing to do?" it will need to be considered when trying to keep the force relevant for the next fight(s). Just to get it done, do we need to request new / modified iron to get Congress interested as that will generate more spending that they can take credit for? If so, will that drive us to cheap(er) solutions but ones that we can change out relatively quickly if we find them wanting? Divestiture of the Hog just brings out the emotions in the churn of what to buy, get rid of, change. I think it is (mistakenly) interpreted as the AF not caring about the 19 year old in a TIC, aviation/military reporters wanna feed that belief the AF is only concerned about fast jets, air to air and techno solutions to give certain segments of their readership the confirmation of what they believe and don't like about the AF. Anyway, if money grew on trees I'd wanna see the A-10 units converted F-16s while in the background, the yet to be seen but discussed new 4+ gen fighter would also get an attack variant developed simultaneously. Noting too ambitious but one that widened the low speed envelope, expanded range/loiter, probably better EW suite, etc...

Excellent questions to answer to justify or not the Hog. My two cents is that the mission risk is mainly in losing a cadre of fighter / attack pilots geared towards the Attack Mission Set with particular focus on CAS. Is that enough to justify the Hog being upgraded and sustained, maybe maybe not. If I were AFWIC, I would consider out of container ideas like a future attack community distributed around the threat environment, high-medium-low, and look to OT&E on that concept. High - most expensive and highest demand in requirements, platform probably needs to piggy back off an existing program with technical specifications and improvements applied. Attack variant of the F-35? LO weapons pods, CFTs, etc… Medium - medium price and mission requirements, it needs to address the criticism that the Hog could not survive in a medium threat environment and still deliver a solid attack platform with persistence / lesser AR requirements. This would also need expeditionary capability to fit into Indo-Pacific plans. Probably a Gripen or Superhornet modified to get more attack and less fighter out of the platform, not perfect but feasible methinks. Low - first gen UCAV and AT-6s There’s always a chance of the peer in peer fight but fighting proxies and rogue states is still more likely. A mix of manned / unmanned platforms will prevent overkill and the opportunity cost of being over invested in the few and exquisite platforms. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I saw this quote from the ACC chief in AFA's magazine: China is our…pacing threat. If we’re going to keep pace with what they’re doing … you’re not going to do it by refurbishing a fleet of 40-year-old, single-mission, 210-knot airplanes. You’re just not, regardless of how much they’re loved and the great performance they’ve done. - Gen. Mark D. Kelly, commander, Air Combat Command, offering his view of the long-term effectiveness ofkeeping the A-10 in the combat air forces, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Life Cycle Industry Days streaming seminar, Aug. 3. He has a point and with that I'm not saying the other side doesn't have a point on preserving the A-10. But are we really talking about preserving single mission / focused mission set squadrons? The A-10 is a unique platform in the mix that ACC has a single focus, ditto for the F-15C I guess. Would the A-10 community make a better case if they pursued recapitalization vs refurbishing the A-10? New airplane same mission focus vs keeping the Hog? New platform could defeat the arguments against their survivability in a contested environment and relevance to the big fight scenarios.

The Aussies like Japan, SK and anyone else there with the means and desire to not have a Chinese boot in your ass one day need to go ahead a nuke up. Yeah the first years will be scary but no more than now, we’re too comprised by short sighted interests who would and do turn a blind eye to their aggression and atrocities now, I don’t think it’s a sure bet we would come in a timely manner. Have your own gun and a good police department in your neighborhood, with both your own deterrent and a larger force to call on your chances of not being turned into a puppet state or being cowed increase dramatically. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42395/it-looks-like-a-c-130-seaplane-is-finally-happening Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup, constant propaganda can set a train in motion not easy to stop. I think it was Shirer in Rise and Fall of the Third Reich said WW2 in Europe past a point was inevitable as a generation of Germans had grown up / accepted that their problems and frustrations were the results of others and that they deserved to take by force and settle scores what was rightfully theirs. Even if their leaders wanted to slow or stop the train, their public and power structures that support and enable authoritarian regimes would not accept anything but aggression. Paraphrasing and it’s been 20+ years since I read that tome (highly recommended btw) so forgive any unintentional changes to that idea but I could see how this could happen. Saw two videos pop up in my feed speculating on Chinese potential aggression. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That channel on YouTube is awesome, I was too young to remember Burt Sugarman’s Midnight Special tv show but the bands and comedians he would have were incredible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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