Is US air power a farce?

originally posted by: JIMC5499
a reply to: madmac5150

My experience was with helicopters. Our primary mission was Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). We had secondary missions of Search and Rescue (SAR) and Logistics/Transportation. An aircraft with a downed sonar could still perform the SAR or Logistics/Transportation mission. An aircraft with a downed hoist could still do ASW or Logistics/Transportation missions. I a pinch we could mix them. We could take an aircraft with a bad sonar, arm it up with torpedoes and sonobuoys and pair it with an aircraft with a good sonar. The combinations were endless. We had six aircraft and on a lond deployment it wasn't unusual to have an aircraft in the hangar bay that was robbed for parts to keep other aircraft flying. I'm not even going to get into what happened when we got a bad batch of engines. (we got REAL good at engine swaps). Other squadrons with different aircraft types had the same issues.

We had an F-4G at Spangdahlem AB, Germany... we could never get the AIM-9 system to work, at all. Every weapons system specialist, every avionics tech... we all tried to fix that stupid airplane. We carried that tail number as "PMC" all throughout Desert Storm... and it flew more than 30 combat sorties.

The F-4G "Wild Weasel" carried the AGM-88 "HARM" missiles, designed to destroy enemy air defenses. They also carried AIM-7 "Sparrow" missiles, for air defense. That aircraft was listed as "PMC", because the AIM-9 system was inoperative... it never mattered in it's wartime role. Statistics can be very misleading...

a reply to: madmac5150

We launched a jet multiple times with CINCPACAF on board with a fire warning light that only came on when they were heavy. Eventually turned out to be a tiny bit of oil shorting a sensor under a very specific takeoff profile.

Russia would get bogged down in Ukraine and former USSR countries who do not want to be part of that regime again and I would imagine their supply chain and maintenance would significantly reduce their air threat whilst the best of European and American keep them on the ground.

China will be the same, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia and the US would prevent them dominating the air.

Those big stealth bombers can really affect you repairing, re-arming and rejoining the fight you know.

a reply to: Forensick

Russia is no slouch and their new S400/300 and maybe even the S500 in development would be a HUGE risk for our current built up fleet of stealth attack aircraft.

and what does was Russia have tucked up its sleeve? there are RECENT sat photos of a MIG 1.44 and other oddities out there,

that being said the weasels job would be made easy by the US's new decoys that can be launched in mass out the back of a C-130 and ghost multiple different kinds of aircraft as well as multiple aircraft from one decoy.

what is russias green lady and yellow light? and how many fly overs have happened of Russian secret aircraft over american soil

a reply to: penroc3

Don't believe everything you read.

a reply to: Zaphod58

in regards to what?

the new S-X family of SAM's not a great weapons systems even more so with the later blocks.

a reply to: madmac5150

The only airforce the millennials/next gen are worried about are the god dam Aliens. They are ahead of the world by two fold because US decided it was a fking good idea to suppress the world technological advance by bribing scientists or assassinating under CIA while using USD as economic warfare. As soon as US rolls out their space carriers alone expect to be exterminatus by alien space force. Who thinks aliens are not watching us right now? They are watching.

The aircrafts we have are a bloody joke in comparison. We don't even have a floating aircraft carrier.

The avionics in a P-3c were tempermental to the point that they could make you or break you in a qualification. Lots of hard landings and the terrible NE weather would eventually screw them up, and some parts were near impossible to get.

We relied on some very crafty line chiefs that worked deals with other squadrons in various Naval Air Stations. Nothing was free.. for anything we wanted, we had to give up something of equal or higher value. The barter system was indeed the most efficient way to keep our readiness indexes as high as possible.

a reply to: penroc3

Russian missiles are good, but not in the same ballpark as how good they're claimed to be.

We're a long way from done swarms launched from C-130s, let alone them doing SEAD work.

The MiG 1.44 is dead, and has been for 20 years.

Russia doesn't have a program of record that's secretly overflying the US. They're barely able to get the new Su-57 engine program going, let alone a reusable high speed, efficient engine that would allow something like that.

a reply to: charlyv

Scrounge bags and bartering were the #. We'd work out a trade with someone, run to the airport and freight our end to them, then go back when the flight with our parts arrived. More than one aircraft part was picked up at baggage claim and thrown into my car.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: charlyv

Scrounge bags and bartering were the #. We'd work out a trade with someone, run to the airport and freight our end to them, then go back when the flight with our parts arrived. More than one aircraft part was picked up at baggage claim and thrown into my car.

The ultimate Air Force "currency"?

Beer

Do you need Civil Engineers to take on an "off the books" project? Beer.

Did you lose a tool on the flight line? If someone else finds it, it will cost you a case of beer, to get it back.

Do you want a "de-milled" 30mm gun barrel, as a memento? Three cases of beer.

The Air Force... it runs on beer.

a reply to: madmac5150

remember my first trip to Turkey guy showing me around was buddies with CE, we got to go into their compound, steaks, coolers full of beer a frickign hot tub joyful days at the end of the 90s when nobody cared.

originally posted by: Irishhaf
a reply to: madmac5150

remember my first trip to Turkey guy showing me around was buddies with CE, we got to go into their compound, steaks, coolers full of beer a frickign hot tub joyful days at the end of the 90s when nobody cared.

I was at Incirlik AB, during Desert Storm.... early 1990s... it was Animal House, in WWII surplus tents.

Mistakes were made... our First Shirt kept us out of jail... (to be fair, he was normally out drinking with the rest of us...)

a reply to: madmac5150

Beer, and occasionally the guy who knows how to make an ice cream maker out of a washing machine and bicycle parts...

a reply to: madmac5150

Lotta mistakes were made at incirlik, knew one guy didnt believe the bosses when they said dont go to the alley and sleep with a local, he ended up bringing home a Turkish wife.

originally posted by: Irishhaf
a reply to: madmac5150

Lotta mistakes were made at incirlik, knew one guy didnt believe the bosses when they said dont go to the alley and sleep with a local, he ended up bringing home a Turkish wife.

I'm guessing that raki was involved... the opium laced stuff...

a reply to: madmac5150

I learned at the feet of my father growing up, so I learned a lot of tricks. He could get anything done just by asking. He'd happily pay the beer or whatever they preferred, but the guys he worked with would gladly do whatever The Chief asked.

That was one of the first things he taught me, was to find out what the person you were asking wanted and have it on hand. But always have beer available, in case you couldn't get what they wanted.

a reply to: madmac5150

or hash