Canadian F-18 Jet Goes Boom

[Bignate603]

Oops, I meant to say no one has yet to match the F-18 capability's, fixed it. My point is why develop a weapon system of any kind if there is no reasonable expectation of it ever being needed..

Any future war against a well armed opponent will occur quickly enough that there will be no chance to do any build up of new weapons systems or even to produce more of the ones that we already have. It will be strictly based on what we have now.

Each new fighter flies for decades. While all the technology is unneeded at this point it's hard to say that it will be unneeded 20 years from now. If the political climate changes with the other larger countries or some of the more antagonistic countries get ahold of better weapons systems we would want to have an advanced fighter. If that happens we can't magically make a new fighter appear just because we want it.

 

[tcsenter]

Well, Russia will by 2015, once the Sukhoi PAK is given to them. For now though, it's not being matched.

And wouldn't be for at least another 15 years (minimum), in addition to the superior F-15C and later variants, except that the DOD is deliberately keeping these aircraft in their current (dated) trim and preventing them from receiving upgrades in order to artificially (i.e. fraudulently) justify the "need" for the F-22 by making the capability gap between them artificially (i.e. fraudulently) large:

However, the F-15 "Golden Eagles" designated for long-term retention may not get the upgrade. An Air Force budget already stretched too thin is given as one reason. A second is that service leaders want to offer no competition to the F/A-22, which is slated to have a primary cruise missile defense role during expeditionary operations. -- AESA Radar Eyed for F-15C Upgrades

Similar upgrades to the engines, avionics, and all combat systems are available and have passed operational evaluation that would effectively close the capability gap between current best fighters (F-15, F-18, and F-16) at a mere fraction of the F-22's cost, but there is tremendous resistance within powerful circles of Congress and DOD to make sure the F-22 looks like a "far superior" aircraft.

 

[0roo0roo]

Any future war against a well armed opponent will occur quickly enough that there will be no chance to do any build up of new weapons systems or even to produce more of the ones that we already have. It will be strictly based on what we have now.

Each new fighter flies for decades. While all the technology is unneeded at this point it's hard to say that it will be unneeded 20 years from now. If the political climate changes with the other larger countries or some of the more antagonistic countries get ahold of better weapons systems we would want to have an advanced fighter. If that happens we can't magically make a new fighter appear just because we want it.

Yea once you are behind, you pay in lives. Sh*t countries like the soviets were willing pay this, we aren't.

 

[JulesMaximus]

If JAG is any indication of realistic Naval procedures and policy, you are allowed at least 4 or 5 crashes.

I would say it would depend entirely on the circumstances. I'm sure there are situations where 1 crash would be too many.

 

[foghorn67]

If Superman is any indication of realism, you can just fly the Space Shuttle really really fast in orbit, reverse time, and avoid Crashes that put you at the limit.

If Peanuts were any indication of realism, we could have beagles flying doghouses to save a few bucks.

 

[Bignate603]

I would say it would depend entirely on the circumstances. I'm sure there are situations where 1 crash would be too many.

I agree, there may be crashes that aren't really held against you like this one on a training flight where a bird gets sucked into the engine. I've seen it a few times and have always been impressed how composed the trainer was through the whole thing. The trainee sounds understandably worried but the trainer's voice sounds very composed like it's a normal flight. Just as a side note, while the video says F16, there's claims that it was a canadian jet made by BAE. It's an interior camera so I can't say which is true.

Bird strike

Then there's crashes like this one, it's one of the thunderbirds at an airshow. The supposed cause was that the pilot didn't reset the altimeter for that location to give him an accurate idea how high he was above the ground. He went to pull up and realized he didn't have enough distance to make the turn before the plane would hit the ground. He survived but I wouldn't be surprised if that mistake cost him his career.

Thunderbird crash

 

[zerocool84]

I thought he was yawing the plane to make sure when he ejected that he would be out of the path of the explosion since he ejected so low.

 

[BUTCH1]

Any future war against a well armed opponent will occur quickly enough that there will be no chance to do any build up of new weapons systems or even to produce more of the ones that we already have. It will be strictly based on what we have now.

Each new fighter flies for decades. While all the technology is unneeded at this point it's hard to say that it will be unneeded 20 years from now. If the political climate changes with the other larger countries or some of the more antagonistic countries get ahold of better weapons systems we would want to have an advanced fighter. If that happens we can't magically make a new fighter appear just because we want it.

Good point, I never thought of it in that terms. Hopefully whatever design (it's the F-22, right) will be as successful as some of the previous ones and the USAF will have continued supremacy.

 

[foghorn67]

I thought he was yawing the plane to make sure when he ejected that he would be out of the path of the explosion since he ejected so low.

That would be some epic forethought. Anyway, props to that airman.

 

[Powermoloch]

Good thing that the pilot was able to make it !

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

stunning Blue Angels HD vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6tB8Lf7YoU&feature=related