Comments on: Was the Gates Counter-USAF Sortie Fair?

By: google

google — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:02:44 +0000

criticism of f-22 : http://www.google.com/search?q=%22The+airplane+is...

By: freepublic

freepublic — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:57:41 +0000

f-22 articles with comments and replies : http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/f22/index?more=57...

By: criticism of f-22

criticism of f-22 — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:47:54 +0000

criticism of f-22 : http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&...

By: SMSgt Mac

SMSgt Mac — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:36:26 +0000

RE Speech location:

By: El Basurero

El Basurero — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:25:58 +0000

to Cenobyte:
Humans have looked up at the sky for millenia and dreamed of flight; now it’s all the rage to replace them with computers, mostly for political reasons. Yeah, flyboys may be a little outdated, but I (a nonflyer) can’t really blame ‘em for dragging their feet on the way to the chopping block.

By: TB

TB — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:31:48 +0000

Thanks for linking the actual speech. Yes I was reading too much into the MSM cut-up. The text of his speech seemed less accusatory than “we’re trying to change thinking patterns.” In context with the rest of his speech, they seemed like fair comments to make.

By: TB

TB — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:24:32 +0000

While I may be reading a bit much into this, it seems that Sec. Gates is chastising the Air Force when the buck stops with him as their boss. If he has to pull teeth to get the AF to do what he wants to fight the war, why isn’t a general or two getting the axe? While I like Gates leaps and bounds more than I do Rumsfeld, I don’t go to the local town-hall meeting and complain that my troops won’t show up to work on time or disobey my orders.

By: The Cenobyte

The Cenobyte — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:20:50 +0000

The Airforce has been pretty nimble but the huge programs to by aircraft like the f-35 and f-22 that will not hold a candle in just a few years to AI controled drones that cost 1/1000th the price, has to pilot to kill, and attacks cordinated with hundreds of other drone and weapon systems on the battlefield.
Next: Why is it that the army warrior guys are more likley to run into a c-130 than the pilots that got a civilian air licence will? The Warrior guys never had to learn how to fly a plane they sit in but they never have to fly a plane they sit in. The airforce just can’t get the idea that machines run by 19 year old kids can fly a plane better than a guy in the seat without all the computers. The flyboys in the airforce command hate the idea that they would not be needed in tomorrows airforce and flight the end of that everyday.

By: pfcem

pfcem — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:32:31 +0000

First of all we need to consider the source. Sorry but the Associated Press is misrepresenting what Defense Secretary Robert Gates said. This is what I mean when I say that if you want to know the truth you need to do your own research rather than simply getting your information for the “main stream news”.
Here is a link to the text of the speech.
http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=1231
I am sure SOME of you still won’t get it but HOPEFULLY many of you will. Keep in mind that this speech was addressed to STUDENTS at the Air War College.

By: irtusk

irtusk — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:19:49 +0000

> How is a UAV any different than a manned aircraft (short of the organic material)?
they’re cheaper, in both men and material
if a plane goes down, you just lost a VERY expensive piece of material plus potentially the VERY expensive crew
if a UAV goes down, oh well
> Why don’t we just put enlisted personnel in the hardware we currently have?
level of responsibility
a 99.99% accident free rate may be acceptable for UAVs, it is not acceptable for manned planes
> You see where I’m going with this?
you know that the army currently operates some of the same UAVs as the airforce (Predator) with non-pilots?
it seems to work ok for them …
> When a soldier in country calls for help, more often than not, it’s a manned fighter providing assistance.
which is a wasteful situation that needs to be fixed
> Forty or fifty years from now I can see a mostly unmanned fleet (6th gen fighters), but that doesn’t help us in the present.
don’t confuse the issues
we aren’t talking about super UCAVs that will replace the F-22
we’re talking about what we have NOW (Predators and Reapers) and finding adequate staffing to keep them all operational