B-3 Bomber announced

Quote: DRich

I believe the U.S. has nuclear armed bombers in the air 24/7 every single day just in case the call comes.

IIRC this ended in the early 1990s with the Cold War. We had three patrols they ran, all in circles at the edge of the USSR. Ended to cut costs.

Quote: Face

I don't see how or why.

As I said before, the carpet game is gone. Sure, when all you had was dumb bombs, you needed a carpet to ensure a hit. Flying in-country was risky; you didn't want to do it more than you had to. So one flight to hit one thing that you can't miss, and have to use dumb bombs to do it? Better bring a hundred and lay the whole place low.

That's over. Now we pick our way right to the target. Send in a Strike Fighter with HARM's to blind the enemy and neutralize the air threat. Have the Navy toss a few Tomahawks to burn down the now blinded air defenses. The path clear, send the Strikers in with JDAMS and AWACS to specifically take out the one thing you wanted taken out. Go home and blast Kenny Loggins.

We don't carpet much, but we add a GPS to old dumb bombs and drop as needed. You also get flexibility. Drop a few bombs each at Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. Would take half a dozen expensive missiles. Not saying it is the way to go, but there is flexibility.

Quote: Ayecarumba

We need to keep producing new systems because they serve as deterrents. The fact that your potential enemy has more advanced munitions actually keeps the peace.

Whether we, as a country, are willing to use the systems we have to inflict damage on others, including the loss of "innocents" is the real question. If our enemies know that we are not willing to pull the trigger on a hospital they will certainly use that information to their advantage.

If the only tool in our toolbox is a nuclear bomb that we will not use, it is as good as useless. It is better to have several other, 'right sized" options available. Heavy bombers capable of carrying "Daisy Cutters" are a "right sized" option. I say build it so we don't have to use it. But if we need to use it, use it to win, not to "contain".

Quote: AZDuffman

We don't carpet much, but we add a GPS to old dumb bombs and drop as needed. You also get flexibility. Drop a few bombs each at Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. Would take half a dozen expensive missiles. Not saying it is the way to go, but there is flexibility.

This speaks to tactics, munitions, weapon systems. An airframe is a delivery system. You can't compare the two.

Anything a bomber would carry, save for the very large ordinances, is already on half a dozen different airframes. Huge, 2,000lb Mk-84s, or their smart counterpart, the GBU-10, can be carried by all of our major strike aircraft. A-10s, F-16s, F-18s, they all got em. All of the laser guidance do-jobbery likewise is found on all these different aircraft. You want to drop a small bomb down an air vent? Slap on a kit, turn the Mk-82 into a GBU-12, and all of these planes have the systems to guide them right down the pipe. And any one of these planes can carry 6 of them easily, with room left over for full guns AND AIM-9's AND AIM-120's and maybe even some AGM's on the side. A flight of F-16's could take off out of Virginia and nail all those targets four times over. What's a bomber going to do in addition to or better than that?

Also, how dare you bomb NY and not hit NYC. For shame, sir, for shame.

Quote: Face

A flight of F-16's could take off out of Virginia and nail all those targets four times over. What's a bomber going to do in addition to or better than that?

A bomber will have more range. By the time the fighter hits what, Albany or Utica it will have to turn back. You cannot always refuel.

Quote:

Also, how dare you bomb NY and not hit NYC. For shame, sir, for shame.

As much as I hate the expression, My Bad. OTOH, you forget Long Island! Given the choice I would take it out before the city. I might want to eat at Rao's or Sparks one day.

Quote: AZDuffman

A bomber will have more range. By the time the fighter hits what, Albany or Utica it will have to turn back. You cannot always refuel.

That was the one thing I thought of while typing. With external tanks and conservative throttle, you can only make it about the length of Korea with a full payload in a strike fighter. Even with carriers, we'd have problems in the deep of China, Russia, or other large places. Places we might well have conflict.

But now the question becomes "What is the B3 that the B1/2 isn't"? Unless it can take off from the continental US and hit anywhere with impunity, with no requirement for SEAD, I don't see the benefit. At least not a benefit worth 11+ figures.

Edit:

Quote: AZD

As much as I hate the expression, My Bad. OTOH, you forget Long Island! Given the choice I would take it out before the city. I might want to eat at Rao's or Sparks one day.

I figure three or four bridges and just let the whole thing float away =p

Quote: Face

But now the question becomes "What is the B3 that the B1/2 isn't"? Unless it can take off from the continental US and hit anywhere with impunity, with no requirement for SEAD, I don't see the benefit. At least not a benefit worth 11+ figures.

What it "isn't" is 30-50+ years old.

The last B-52 was built in 1962, the Ford Falcon was then a best-seller.

The B-1B goes to 1986, year of the first Ford Taurus and AMC still made the Eagle.

The B-2 first was built in 1989, two years after the USPS LLV was introduced.


Parts run out, things can't be fixed, and I won't beat it because I know you fix and drive as much old stuff as I do and probably more.

Quote: DRich

That is also one of my favorite planes. I love the utilitarian look of it.

I find I tend to favor unusual plane designs. All my favorites have some oddity, or at least an uncommon feature. Three engines (727), half an upper deck (747), side-by-side cockpit (A6), swing wings (F-14), all wing shape (B2).

The A-10 is a bunch of unusual features thrown together, really.

Russians Mi-24 attack helicopter, "Russians making mockery of US foreign policy in Syria". http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-10-30/caught-tape-isis-meet-russian-mi-24-attack-helicopter#comments

And, this just can't be good: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-10-30/obama-set-announce-us-boots-ground-syria#comments

Having to bring back "What are we fighting for" https://youtu.be/jCU5GRyDwn8

Boots on the ground. Do Americans even know why we are invading/bombing Syria? Can most even point Syria out on a map?

Quote: petroglyph

Boots on the ground. Do Americans even know why we are invading/bombing Syria? Can most even point Syria out on a map?

Same place all the world drama comes from. You'd think the birthplace of so many gods would have its collective s#$% together better than it has.

Couldn't tell you why, though, except for the obvious. The LOX taught us this back in the 90's - Money, power, respect.

International politics is such a fuckarow I can hardly be bothered.

Quote: Face

International politics is such a fuckarow I can hardly be bothered.

This is the B-3 bomber thread, what do you want to do, bomb Kansas?

All politics are the same, as are wars or conflicts. And now the bankers are international. Follow the money trail and sooner or later, you will find the cause not far from home.

Killing to me is just killing. It doesn't matter whether it is some unknown wedding party in Yemen or Burning down a church full of people in Waco Texas.

I had an abstract thought about why it is illegal to kill Americans and not Syrians. I think the PTB are offended if when you kill someone downtown you are trashing their property. They certainly don't care about your life. Only as it affects their bottom line. We, as a people are a resource that they are the only ones they believe should be able to harvest.

Governments, political party's, bosses, gangs, tribes, it always the same thing. Funneling power to the top, or an Exeter's pyramid, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Exter

Power doesn't corrupt as much as it attracts the corruptible. The view does change from the top.

I have been watching a new documentary type show on Rome. I guess killing is just what we do. To pretend that we are different then animals is just the story put out by the churches/pols, so they get their cut. The sooner we get back to cannibalism the sooner the price of beef will drop. Meat is meat, sex is sex even if it's with a cow. Things are what they are, and nothing else. Any other meaning attributed to what things intrinsically are, is for someone's benefit.