Clark Griswold

Just posting links to sing the praises of the Scorpion Jet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLWlh5aZ8ks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdv_hqmemEs Brett Pierson explaining the concept and design of the jet, at the 1:15 mark (first video) he explains how the basic avionics and mission systems are completely separate allowing very easy modification, customization or update without affecting the basic systems that certify the aircraft as airworthy, genius... Again, I can't believe the AF is not selecting this aircraft for LAAR or at least further evaluation in LAE...

T-50A video If you have ADHD, go to 1:00 and the BVR A2A virtual engagement training scenario and 1:50 A2G scenario.

Relight on thread... For armchair generals and strategists... https://russiamil.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/russian-air-force-procurement-plans-2/ From the article: Overall, Russian aircraft procurement has followed the path of buying more of what Russian defense industry is good at producing, rather than basing procurement on a programmatic assessment of Russian defense needs. In addition, the MOD has to some extent succumbed to pressure to support defense industry and will be procuring aircraft such as the MiG-35 that it is not particularly excited about. As a result, the air force will be faced with a proliferation of combat aircraft types, with the attendant higher maintenance and training costs. In the meantime, the long-term weakness in transport aviation will persist, limiting the improvements in military mobility that have been one of the core aspects of military reform efforts over the last decade. Thought that statement was interesting and seems political/industry concerns trump their services own determined requirements, same as it is here to some degree.. One more for discussion... https://warisboring.com/russias-stealth-fighter-deployment-in-syria-is-a-dangerous-farce/ Deploying the not-ready for prime time Su-57? For potential customers or valid operational reasons? Methinks the former

Just to grasp at straws but is there anyway that AFSOC could define it's own requirement (separate and different than ACC's) to have a process not so biased? Any appetite for that?

Too smart not complicated enough

Light a candle but why only the AT-6B and A-29 in the second round of LAE? To plagiarize @ClearedHot "Scorpion crushes the other offerings" and that is not to say the others are not without merit but the difference in capability is too great to pretend they are similar aircraft. But if it is to be between the AT-6B or A-29 let's just cut to the chase and get the AT-6B. Not resignation as the AT-6B is a good buy but just impatience at wanting to see LAAR finally get here.

Quite a large head of pressure with moisture following the repeated gusts

Ditto. I don't know if this generation of AF "leaders" / other public officials (very last boomers / oldest Gen X'ers) desperately trying to seem cool realizes that Millenials can smell their cheesy lame attempts at "connection" a mile away. My oldest is amongst those oh so ironic sensing cohort and I may be naive but I have her respect by not attempting to be just like them, you know young kids, but I act like an adult, reasonably mature and not ham handily trying to emulate their idioms, mannerisms, humor or fads. Unsurprisingly, I am treated well by her and her friends because more than anything people respect honesty. This goes not just for AF leadership but other public officials: people (especially young people and those serving in a defined hierarchy) want to respect the person in charge more than they want to identify with them on a personal level. You can't respect someone that is not genuine and honest, you may not like someone but if they can have your respect and loyalty if they are honest, capable and moral. Give them reasons to respect you rather than reasons to like you.

Agreed but the MX and sustainment cost of the B-2 is prohibitive given the small production run and consequently low parts availability from premature truncation of the program. Didn't realize the B-21 had a lower range unrefuelled than the B-2, that's UNSAT. If anything, give the next bomber greater range to keep from telegraphing its ingress when it ARs pre-strike and push the tankers further back from the beginning of the A2AD area

Yes Wiki on Stop Loss: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop-loss_policy US Code DoD policy is based on: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/12305

Yup, that sounds about what the machine is likely to deliver in lieu of procurement. The Borg collective is just incapable of admitting a mistake, that they should have bought a LAAR around the 2005-06 timeframe when it was obvious we were in for a long slog in two different theaters with no air/air threat and for fixed wing a mostly low threat environment. Yet here we are.

What a useless punk...

Yup.

1. We don't know. Something less genocidal than a few years ago. 2. To stymie Russia/Iran. 3. Yes. I would add there is no good move in Syria (or what's left of it) just less bad moves than others depending on what day of the week it is. Bomb the remnants of ISIS, Al Nusra, Al Qaeda, etc... try to avoid the Russians / Iranians but sure as hell don't back down if they try shenanigans, keep the Kurds armed and fend off the Turks/Iranians from attacking them, keep funding the Iraqi central gov as it is better than letting it implode and hold your nose while this shit sandwich is chewed on for the next 5-10 years. Unless we are ok with letting the Kurds get the shit kicked out of them when we pull out (sts) then we are there to keep them semi-sovereign, not bombed and attacked with chemical weapons. They're good allies, they deserve our support.

Yeah, I think it is low on the priorities and they are probably only doing this to placate Congress / keep another branch from procuring this aircraft or mission ala the C-27 but one can hope.

Another round of OA-X demos in May - July timeframe: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/will-the-air-force-really-buy-new-light-attack-aircraft-24397 and IOMAX wants to adapt Archangel to a coastal / maritime patrol mission: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/singapore-airshow/2018/02/09/iomax-may-adapt-its-archangel-aircraft-to-patrol-asian-coastlines/

This Onion headline seems similar to the the current situation in Syria.

Rand Paul on Neil Cavuto, not usually a fan of his but as we pass 20+ trillion debt now with a trillion dollar deficit forecast in few years, along with higher interest rates inevitably necessary, shit is about to get real IMO in a few years. Skip to 9:45 and he has a good idea, individual spending bills vs. the all or nothing omnibus bills we choke on now. Department by Department, vote on each and IMO should have 3 COAs for each: Full Resourcing, 5% haircut across the Department's individual programs or 5% haircut with discretion granted to the head of the Dept to shift resources to achieve the 5% savings. For the 2018 budget, it is about 3.654 trillion in revenues vs. 4.094 trillion in appropriations, for about 440 billion in deficit spending or about 9% over budget. Let's dip our toes in the water of fiscal sanity and aim for just 4% over budget and shift just 5% of budget and spending authority to gov officials who don't have a huge need to beg of campaign contributions and face reelection every 2 or 6 years...

Ditto. Saw a video on the Orion spacecraft system and it was designed specifically with plenty of dials, switches, physical buttons, etc. for human factors and with touchscreen capacity for reversion capability. 20 lb. brains working on a multi-billion dollar spacecraft think keeping a conventional control system is a good idea, it probably is.

It was insanely cool. SLS / Orion is gonna be impressive when it comes to be (fingers crossed) in Dec 2019. https://spacenews.com/nasa-sets-december-2019-date-for-first-sls-launch/ I'm hoping this interest and optimism given the successful launch can be sustained. We can get to Mars orbit sooner rather than later (maybe 6 years from now) get a solid win and ask the for the big, big mission(s) - Mars landings with a permanent outpost. https://hom.planetary.org Also, give NASA one penny at least... https://www.penny4nasa.org/mission/

Do it. I can't imagine saying no if I were in your shoes. I can still remember my tweet solo, first flight as the A code, etc... all the bullshit you will have to put up with is worth it.

But they collect the intel to know whom to strike, that’s the primary tactical problem to be solved for the strategy leadership currently prefers. Not saying that strategy is good, bad, effective or wise just what we do and why. Any number of assets can deliver a PGM, very few can deliver a weapon after the exhaustive collection and target discrimination our ROE requires. Make droids primarily an X-CAS platform and what they bring to the fight rapidly diminishes.

Crap - pardon my ignorance

MAJCOM patch Really? Thought Cyber was happy in AFSPC but if y'all are good with it, cool.

AF Global Vigilance Command... sounds right. Sending 24AF to ACC... sounds terrible.