Originally posted by American Mad Man
Yup.
The goal of the USAF is going to be to move to an all stealth fleet.
I'd like to see some stealth AWACS too.
Hmm, I'm not sure if an all stealth fleet is such a good idea. Has anyone ever heard the saying:
Too Much of Anything Is NOT Good!
I be the first to admit that I'm a huge fan of stealth aircraft and stealth technology. Even my User profile states that I'm a stealth fanatic.
However, If you go to an all stealth fleet, you loose the element of surprise. What makes stealth so effective, is that noone knows if or when it's
coming. If you overuse it, your opponent will have an easier time trying to find a way to counter it.
Second, in some situations, I don't see much point to using stealth technology. I'll show you what I mean:
Stealth used right:
Sending a B-2 after a command center- The stealth allows the B-2 to sneak in and destroy the command center with no warning. By not giving the
opponent a warning that he is under attack, you can do more damage to the target, and you protect your pilots.
Stealth used wrong:
A stealth Transport- Unless you are engadged in black op's, the stealth will have very little (If Any) effect on the mission. If you apply a
technology that costs $1 Billion to a situation where it won't make a difference, you have wasted a lot of money.
It's like spending $500 dollars on a fir coat if you live in the Bahamas. It's something you'll never need. (
The fir coat was a randomly
selected exampe, I don't own any real fir! This was added in case there are any animal right folks on this site!)
Stealth can be a great asset, but ONLY if it is used wisely! We are better off with a small fleet of stealth planes that are optimized for a few
specialized missions, where it will act as a force multiplier by increasing the effectiveness of the fleet as a whole.
Here are some good examples of stealth used WELL:
B-2 Spirit ATB- The B-2 was design to attack strategic targets such as: Command, Communications, Air Defense, and WMD sites. All of these targets are
heavly defended with SAM's, AAA, and Radar-Targeted defenses. Stealth protects the B-2 from the Defenses.
SR-71 Blackbird- Intelligence activities depend on secrecy to suceed. If you want to know what someone is really up to, watch them when they think
they are alone.
SpecOp's- Covert operations are all about secracy. If your hunting terrorists, you don't want them to know that they are being fallowed.
Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance
