Clark Griswold

Air Force to Test Fighter Drone Against Human Pilot

If Pearl Harbor happened today...

Near the top of the world, shit is getting tense: https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/05/26/thousands-chinese-troops-flood-border-india-tensions-rise/ India v China, just the cherry on top for 2020 after Wu-Flu

Update: FPP published a review of the crash footage with Robert Mitchell (former Snowbird pilot/commander interviewed in the above link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl7qOY2-o_Y

Related and informative to the subject of the Snowbirds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFba_vsL6Os Breakdown of the interview: TABLE OF CONTENTS: 0:04:43 - Guest introduction 0:08:31 - About Snowbirds 0:10:29 - About their aeroplanes 0:20:36 - Logistics 0:26:42 - Social skills 0:29:55 - Self-criticism and team work 0:33:46 - Typical demonstration program 0:35:45 - Escape Manuveres 0:39:15 - Crucial qualities of a military pilot 0:41:34 - Joining Snowbirds, progressing, staying focused 0:47:53 - Role of the lead 0:52:02 - The accident 0:56:09 - Replacement and responsibility 0:59:25 - Other performances aside from airshows 1:01:23 - Debriefs and self-improvement Listeners' Questions 1:03:12 - Particular trimming for flying in formations 1:05:06 - Possible replacements for CT-114 Tutor 1:07:06 - Official approvals of the aerobatics program 1:08:26 - Costs involved 1:09:25 - What it's like to fly the Tutor compared to more modern aircraft 1:10:32 - How long does it take a new member to learn flying demo 1:12:28 - Which other aerobatics team would he like to fly with 1:14:06 - Source of spare parts Wrap Up 1:15:57 - Future plans (aviation in film) 1:20:21 - The facts are not out but the CT-114 is NOT inherently unsafe, antiquated or inappropriate for it's role as a demonstration aircraft.

Lemoine reposted it, cue to the 4:00 mark for the jackassery by the drone dude:

Copy I'm not sure it's a conspiracy against the ARC but AD seems to want to drive it into the dirt by overuse of some of its capabilities / units. Why I suppose is to grow the AD by the return of resources and iron, seems short sighted and myopic so it might be true. With the airline and broader economy problems this may be less problematic for the members of the ARC as employment is better than unemployment but still if the units are burned out, back off. Unless it is responding to a contingency that we deem necessary to intervene militarily, just be unpredictable and execute said deterrence TSP later. Short notice, short duration airpower demos can likely accomplish the same deterrent effect for less cost and less stress on the force.

Yeah, it is narrated for his general audience but I'm a simpleton as it explained to this knuckledragger what happened so I took it as good enough. To them.

That is not easy question(s) to answer. My answer/solution to the problem of unsustainable benefits for retirees and dependents is stop digging that hole. At some point say everyone who joins after this date will have these choices of retirement plans and dependents would be covered under these choice of plans. Choices to retirement/benefits being ones that likely will be similar to ones in the private sector but with sweetners to encourage recruitment/retention. But they would and will have to be less expensive than what we have now. The private sector gave up on lifetime defined benefit systems about 25 years ago, the government (fed and state) follows the lead of the private sector, it just takes longer for them to change. If we wanna get serious about fixing this liability in the DoD financial obligations, we should look at buy out packages for members for whom it makes sense, if they are young, responsible and financially savvy it could work for both parties. Buy outs would be generous and paid to achieve the long term goal of changing the financial direction of the DoD's pension & healthcare liabilities, pay a good bit up front to the members to save money in the long term. I'm not ecstatic about any changes to the retirement & benefits systems but I know that it has to be done. Our lifetimes are much longer than when the systems were designed, the array of services is much greater and more expensive, we are mainly a married military now versus mostly single young men and politicians who usually think short term and implement programs / increases regardless whether they have a plan to actually pay for it leaving it to others to figure out to pay for it set this problem in motion. The future will be more taxes, less benefits and more risk transferred to the individual to pay for the accumulated irresponsibility of past generations. The inevitable change to the DoD pay & benefit system is just a manifestation of that. Not trying to be Debbie Downer but I'm realistic. Getting to work earlier on this will make it less onerous in the long run. Yup, but we have to extend that idea further. I like going to Germany TDY as much as the next dude but they are an example of where we don't need to be forward deployed or based. Wealthy nations of the developed world used to the USA providing a lot or most of the military deterrence keeping them safe, prosperous and free will have to step up or get used to being intimidated by regional bullies. As to bullshit deployments specifically, the best appetite suppressant for that is additional pay for the deploying members paid by the requesting Combatant Command. More for the member and keeps the Command from growing herds of Power Point rangers.

Then we make a Deal with the Devil / Congress... we swap MWS's out but keep at least most of the people and adapt the facilities at those locations losing/gaining MWS's as required to make it politically feasible. We want to retire the A-10 so let us buy a less expensive new Attack platform and retrain a majority percentage of the total force that flies and supports it, show them you save X dollars in the long run. We want to retire the E-8, ok we want to buy a new C2/ISR/ELINT/EA/etc... but we want this new platform that saves Y dollars over the long run. There's a chance that we will gain or retain some capabilities that the AF institutionally thinks it can do without but in acquiring new iron with lower operational costs and potentially lower manpower costs, it enables wiggle room in future budgets to get more of the higher priority toys. @FLEA brought up the other elephant in the room, the cost of MILPERS. It's grown about 65% proportionately since the early 2000's IIRC from the last article I read on it. If we don't figure out the best way to compensate adequately, contain the rate of compensation and benefits to include benefits for dependents the DoD is going to end up as pension and healthcare organization with some weapons programs too.

Lemoine did a video on the Vance accident using the AIB summarizing the accident, worth a view:

Yup - it (the DoD) is treated by both sides as a jobs program setting up the inevitable real needs vs. political/parochial interests. It's easy for me as a nobody and not having been in his position but if you get to that pinnacle and are asked to put 10 lbs of shit in a 5 lbs sack, fall on your sword and say no. Don't rationalize that you'll mitigate it by working it out as best you can on the inside, just tell them no and on the way out make your thoughts known. Now, all that is when you are at the pinnacle and not every other time at your career when you are given piss and told to make it lemonade am I saying to throw in the towel and quit, like pornography versus art, you know it when you see it.

They all go back to the mothership at some point Going to a point in the article referenced above on the backstory and the mid 2010's effort to divest the A-10, I watched the exchange between McCain and and Welsh: https://www.airforcetimes.com/video/2016/03/03/mccain-slams-usaf-chief-welsh-on-a-10-effectiveness/ I understand Welsh's point that he really didn't get a chance to make as McCain was cutting him off, we have X dollars total in the Dept of the AF appropriation, that X is always less than missions/things we need to do or buy, so some don't get done or bought. He should have turned that into give me more and I will save it, BCA be damned. If you're not going to give me more money, give me more authority over the AF appropriation to re-program resources and fix the glitch. You're a 4 star chief of a branch, you're not going anywhere but to retirement after this, fight the good fight and even if you don't win, you'll make great TV making a politician squirm when you retort to his sophistry with a solution.

He was not a fan of the A-10: https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2015/04/10/two-star-fired-for-treason-rant-against-a-10-supporters/

That was a good article on the backstory of that video. Thank God for dudes not compromised by the system doing the right thing. I hope this guy got sent an autographed copy on his birthday.

It was a part of the GH program in the up till 2006, then taken away as it was cheap, simple, low risk and effective. Thanks MG DeCuir.

Shoe Clerks running interference inside the AF Copy and sorry to hear that. I can't say that I was always gung-ho while flying heavies on learning about the high end threats and tactics to evade or mitigate them and saw why the community or many in it eschewed it as they had a hundred other things on their plate, another rotation to get ready for where the operational environment was unchanged from the last 6.9 rotations ago and the leadership they dealt with did not put much value in it other than what was necessary to look good on an ORI. You're probably right about the MAF being not that bad, likely getting better as AMC is exercising / planning for near peer fights: https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/09/25/air-mobility-command-exercise-tests-ability-to-operate-in-degraded-combat-environments/

Yup, get on that AMU master's son... that AAD is how Eisenhower & MacArthur won WWII. What a tool. If we wanna fix this (non-operational mindset in the MAF), we need to train the pilots and leadership of the MAF at the beginning and middle of their careers in programs that incorporate training, scenarios and exercises to contemplate and seriously consider moderate to high end threats, operations in austere environments, limited support, etc... My two un-requested cents: Phase III at SUPT extended with a "MAF IFF" to teach tactics, employment and planning for mobility / C2 / ISR asset employment in low support and contested environments. Get'em while their young and impressionable to think tactically, operationally and strategically on Air Mobility. First tour would have operator designed graduate education. We had the "Blue Book" and GRACC, some meaningful lessons there but a lot of fluff. Refine that program and extend that idea of a guided study and professional knowledge development. Also, get a proficiency training aircraft, aerobatic and cheap to fly. Doesn't have to be fancy but there to practice the skills much less expensively than the big iron, simple aircraft with no training wheels to keep SA high. Second tour would be ideally be a bounce in another MAJCOM either at the pointy end or near it. Light Attack, Combat something in AFSOC, bomber tour, etc... something other than moving the stuff or showing up with gas to build experiences in an officer who will likely go back to those communities to keep that culture focused on mission relevant support vs bullshit. Three phases, in the first 8 or so years of a MAF aviator's career to build the mindest and experience needed in the MAF's operational and organizational leaders. Phoenix programs and the like happen after these phases, that is when the career track sorting should begin.

That in addition to the growth and lowering economic bar to jamming technology should give pause to the AF in groking out what the next generation of manned and unmanned systems and the right mix should be for fights in permissive, low and grey zone AORs. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/russia-has-figured-out-how-jam-u-s-drones-syria-n863931 Nothing is perfect, the enemy gets a vote and you will always need more than one type of platform. Buy some Scorpions, AT-6 or A-29s and look for a successor to the Reaper for the next fights.

Check chin strap 😉 I'm jealous...

Don't hate

Nice little plane though, will take their website with a little bit of salt like any company's propaganda on their product but on the whole they seem to hit the big points (modularity, open systems architecture, low total ownership cost, etc...) My only critique is that it seems tailored to the fight in Africa, that's not bad necessarily but if other conflicts pop up where the US chooses to engage militarily that require a more robust capability, we might be wanting with only Bronco II (or similar platform) .

They were the greatest

Replicate, that's a bold statement. They polish up procedures, techniques and establish a base of knowledge to make flight training more effective by getting the student to a level of proficiency and confidence that important stuff is emphasized over switchology but they are not going to give a young pilot at that point in their training what they really need, real world experience. Quality pilot training costs money, deal with it AF.

They proposed a turbofan version also: Both could have been contenders but I would still push for a two seater for the Observation / Tactical ISR role for the aircraft. Two craniums for this mission are better IMO.