In message , Chris
Manteuffel writes
"Paul J. Adam" wrote in message
...
What does stealth get you on Day 1 of the Falklands? A F-117-a-like
doesn't have the range, a B-2 is gross overkill (and lacks the targeting
data: sure, it can get down there and drop bombs, but on what?) Also,
there's a distinct lack of air defence for a stealth aircraft to have to
hide from.

I realize this. You are right that the money for new stealth bombers
just isn't there, and that the best that you can get is LO planes. I
was just arguing (in a minimalist way) that your statements about how
the RAF/FAA don't need stealth because the USAF can do that already
seem to me to be the same sort of thinking that British Exchequers
have made for 50 years, and which aren't really true.

"True enough" for the equipment programme. Who are we credibly going to
fight, that has the sort of air defences that make stealth aircraft
_essential_, and why are we going into that fight alone? (If they're
really that good, _can_ we fight them alone?)

Also, is stealth _really_ the only option, or can the problem be
addresed by other means that are comparatively suboptimal for this
scenario but are more generally cost-effective across the potential
threats and missions?

If there was spare cash kicking around, it would be very nice to have:
but there's no driver to force it: and there are many more credible
capability gaps to fill.


Also, it would not completely amaze me that if such a contingency _did_
arise, we'd beg and plead to investigate some sort of short-notice lease
plus crash training program of four or six F-117s.

Incidentally, what kind of investments are RAF/Army putting into
drones? I honestly don't know, I don't recall reading much about their
programs, but the push to graduation has meant that I'm rather out of
the loop on development programs.

There's a rather busy office next door to mine that's working on naval
UAV concepts and possibilities (FSC or mid-lifing the 23s are the likely
hosts, if not CV/LPH); the Army has the Watchkeeper project underway to
replace Phoenix; don't know about the RAF.

--
When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.
W S Churchill

Paul J. Adam MainBoxatjrwlynch[dot]demon{dot}co(.)uk