You list of future a/c

Actually the F/A-22 will have ground attack capacity. The role is invisioned after air superiority has been achieved and total stealth is not a requirement. It can also perform the electronic attack and SEAD role with its radar.

The F-22 will have a ground attack capability.

www.strategypage.com... .asp

The F-35 will also have a very good A2A capability, only 2nd behind the F-22 in terms of BVR, and it will have also have an exceptional WVR performance as well.

Exactly as you did... strange isn't it...

F-22
F-35
B-52
Eurofighter

I'm sorry, but stealth beats the Eurofighter hands down, and the F-35 is a stealthy aircraft. Lets see what planes actually get used too, the Eurofighter will see limited duty at best. The B-52 will be in service till 2055 as of right now, so I guess all these planes will be in the scrap heap while the B-52 is still flying high. Does that make the B-52 a future aircraft?

what with 600+ to be deployed? I wouldn't call that 'limited'.

I could be wrong, but didn't that number get decreased?

I meant as far as actual action is concerned. Training flights over Europe really don't count in my book as action.

Sounds like a lot of good chat and voting for the FA/22, but I think the
Typhoon has the most impressive feature that wins hand down everytime.

...Better pilots?

You can have all the fancy hardware you like, but if whoevers in the pilot's
seat cant fly it to the 100% of the plane's ability, its worth diddly squat.

Harsh, but regrettably as im sure you'll agree, true...

Well, of course I agree with that Steve but we are slightly biased

hockeyguy, there has been much talk of reducing Typhoon numbers but, so far, it has not happened. The total four nation buy remains at 620 aircraft plus any exports that might be picked up at some point.

mxboy;

care to elaborate on that? Have you forgotten already the RAF contribution in the Gulf, Bosnia, afghanistan?

I know that the RAF fights in wars, but this is a Europe wide fighter, and numbers don't lie, Europe wide, the plane just won't be used as much as the planes in the United States. Not saying that European countries don't make sacrifices, help in wars, fight their own wars blah blah blah, its just the U.S. tends to be the one to really lay down the heavy iron, and use what we have.

I don't think he meant England itself, he was talking about Germany, Italy, and Spain. And on that he's right, besides British Typhoon's, the others won't see much action.

Well,from 'the typhoon will only see limited duty' and 'training flights over Europe don't count' to 'Apart from the RAF, the other Typhoons wont see a lot of action' is quite a leap, don't you think?

Also, in reply to the point about American aircraft seeing the most action, if America insists on spending many many more billions of dollars on defence than any other nation and equally insists on having a military so much more massive than anybody else isn't it only fair that they also take on the biggest responsibility? Its what being a superpower is all about. Britain had its turn, now its America's turn.

Also Italian Tornadoes did fly strike missions in GW1, the fact they (rightly) disagreed with GW2 is what kept them out of that and also ever since the end of WW2 Germany is forbidden from deploying combat forces overseas on actual operations. I think seeing black crosses flying overhead still makes some people nervous

[edit on 2-8-2005 by waynos]