Hmm, the future of CAS/BAI/COIN.
(Sorry, am I still allowed to say BAI or mention COIN at all?
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Overhead the battlefield in daylight stealth is useless (Goodbye RAH-66 Comanche..). What you ideally need is two engines for survivability, two sets of eyeballs for SA and to work the radios, a good endurance to hold on the cab rank and a heavy and and comprehensive payload.
What will we be replacing the Harrier with? The F-35B. Stealthy, single engine, single pilot, limited load and no external tanks.
Great for first day of the war or sitting at 20K+ at night dropping 2 PGMs. But for the sort of support the guys on the ground will need in the present type of warfare?
People knock the Typhoon as being designed for the last war, but we are contractually tied into that. Isn´t the F-35B also designed for the last war? And we haven´t signed the contract for all of those yet.
What´s the unit cost of a SU-25MK Scorpion or a SU-39 Sniper?.....