Originally Posted by
ryan1234
I don't mean to poke my nose into a conversation where I have no credentials... and this is just an outsider observation:
Our primary focus is non-state groups like various terrorist and insurgents. Our military has put a lot of attention (and rightly so) into that particular threat (i.e. UAV). There is, however, states with growing power. The African Union, headed by Muammar Kadhafi... and Mr. Putin of Russia who has enormous support of the Russian people. These states growing combined with a growing demand for oil, etc.... could possibly summon the need for semi-conventional war-fighting aircraft. I would suspect that insurgency will dwindle down as larger states come to power (i.e. kind of an inverse of Iraq).
I personally think the JSF is not exactly the best designed fighter, however the lower cost per unit will hopefully weigh against the quantity threat of these states coming to power. Just from a tactical perspective... wouldn't it seem like UAVs right now wouldn't last long against a well designed semi-modern air defense net from a larger state?
You are absolutely right about one thing in your post Ryan and that is that you don't plan for the current war - but the one looming over the horizon. I doubt that you will ever see a decrease in the near future of the asymmetrical warfare though; as more and more non-state actors can engage in this type of combat than ever before and there is no reason to believe that with state support that this will decrease. The fact is that with the collaspe of the Soviet Union and the 'Eastern Bloc' that many thought the time of more conventional (or semi-conventional as you say) warfare might have been a thing of the past. This thought process ignores current state actors like North Korea, Iran, India, Pakistan, a reemergent Russia, and China which some continue to grow in influence.
I'm not sure why you don't think that the F-35 is a well designed fighter or where you are drawing these conclusions from; but it will be a leap of technology above anything that we currently have and I would expect some very nice capabilities to come from this aircraft in both the A/A and A/G roles; although it is a UGLY duckling in my humble opinion!
USMCFLYR