J-12 Active Already

While you are not holding your collective breath, and considering that American Technology cannot be bettered, consider that the US cannot even agree on a suitable set of parameters to purchase a replacement for 1950s tankers while the rest of the world does not have these sort of problems. (they are merrily buying A330 based tankers while you protest and counter protest for what? another 10 years?)

Sooner or later, America's administrative incompetence will hand the initiative to other producers / operators of combat aircraft.

Westpoint may well opine that the US would field higher technology weapons if others were to attain anything like parity, but the reality is that in the current climate, any winner in a US weapons competition would be legally challenged by any loser in the same competition, preventing any significant US equipment upgrading for at least 30 years.

America's bureaucratic acquisition procedures have set technological advances in a sea on hardening concrete. Don't be surprised when other, less legalistic societies surpass the US in the standard of fielded military equipment.

Yes, America has the money to develop the most advanced weapons, but the acquisition process is so flawed that eventually your forces will be deprived of what they need by the protests of those who lose each and every contest.

Just when in reality, do you imagine, will 1950s KC-135s begin to be replaced? 2050?, 2080?, 2100?, Never? (Bear in mind that the first 'replacement' for the KC-135 was the KC-10 - yeah, right!)

Am I alone in seeing a trend here - a trend that can only lead to second, or even third rate equipment for US forces.

What, for instance, will be the replacement for F-22 - what will be its capabilities - more importantly how many decades of protests and counter protests will ensue before it is in service - if at all! - (on current trends, long after F-22 has run out of airframe life, it appears). Do you imagine that others will stand still while you litigate among yourselves! Under such circumstances how do you imagine that you can maintain technological supremacy - such infantile naivety!

What is the point of replying to a long forgotten post from over FOUR YEARS ago, do you imagine the dude is still sitting in front of his PC festooned with cobwebs waiting for an answer?

Its crap like this that makes this board so bloody boring these days PS, whats wrong with registering so that people can tell if they're having a conversation with the same person or not?

This is a reaction to the plethora of anonymous replies to many many long dead threads recently, not any individual post so don't get huffy, register and join in properly instead 'cos that last reply was actually pretty good, apart from being anonymous.

[edit on 31-7-2008 by waynos]