Gentlemen,
I actually agree with you stealth is necessary: I even said the scenario I described works even better with stealth.
However, frankly, my opinion and your opinion amounts to a hill of beans.
This isn't the first time the US Navy has stated they are not interested in a high end stealth fighter for their next gen aircraft. This has just happened and even back a couple years ago: an admiral stated that stealth was pretty pointless if you could detect the IR from the airstream over an airframe. I wish could find the cite for that, but my google-fu is failing me. Finally, look at the budget numbers. The USN's next gen fighter costs are significantly lower than the USAF. You can't do that if you're pursuing the bleeding edge of tech.
US Air Force:
US Navy:
The US Navy's costs to this point have been less than $50M and their AOA will be done this summer:
The USAF will have spent nearly a billion dollars up to this point and next year will spend as much again. The total for the next five years for the US Navy will be less than $900M.
That strikes me as a radically different capability set.
But then again, that's just my opinion.
As for UCAVs, there's plenty out there to have a back and forth on, but the public programs are wildly suggestive when taken with the comments of various CEOs about expected orders and known missions by Avengers.
But then again, that too could be interpreted as my opinion.
Seems I need to look into the exchange rate for beans to money.
A bit more seriously, we are just going to have to wait and see.
Thank you Mr. Anzha for your thoughted and very nice response, that was CNO Richardson, he gone! yep, the Navy is very gun shy, they probably wouldn't even be rolling the F-35C out if they didn't feel lots of pressure from above, and below... they love the F-18, they don't want to get into the high end F-35 maintenance world, its very expensive as you noted, and there is a vastly diminishing pool of talent for maintainers....
First you've got to build a pool, then you've got to get them to "jump in", I'm extremely hopeful that the Navy will "see" the absolute necessity of "upping their game", but I remind you it was Army Air Corp B-25's that Dolittle's Raider's flew off the Hornet, now that my friend is "projecting airpower"....
The 4 Gen is game over when it comes to serious business downtown, only 5 gen currently offers you a ride in, annnnd a ride back...
The most important tidbit here is that politicians don't need "choices", they need "direction"!
and thank indeed for your opinion, you're at the top of the class, and I'm very grateful that you spend your time and considerable talent here, thanks Bub!
