Salute!
TNX, Mog s for the update, and our brief from a RN Harrier dude implied all you had was a point, tone and shoot implementation due to rapid infefgration. The slave capability is super, although the air defense folks from Canada, Britain and we colonists had it early 60's with other missiles....
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Back to the recent thread.....
One must realize that all the future costs and assumptions are BS. As Einstein and Berra said, "predictions are hard, especially about the future"
The real big $$$$ involve basic airframe problems and the engines. Thus far, the airframe seems durable, even with the LO maintenance, and even with less stealth, the plane has capabilities that were not in the original requirement documents and has surprised many of we old farts. A second source process for the engine is well under way, same as we did with the Eagle and Viper.
To be careful about the ROE here, most of us in the colonies feel there is more influence from the ignorant folks that wish to spend $$$ on things other than defense. Secondly, there will be a good debate about required forces...... project power? defend the homeland? help allies and others? you name it....
Finally, this crapola about the NGAD platform is like fusion power plants one day in the future maybe, but sounds good huh?...as with my opinion about the $$$ I smell the many (poly) $$$ sucking insects at work ( ticks).
Gums sends...