Are Hyper-Sophisticated Fighters Actually Needed?
The world’s air forces continue developing and buying extremely expensive fighter aircraft amid a continuing conundrum: Significant air combat has been nearly extinct for decades. Since the last air combats over Vietnam in 1973, American fighter pilots have shot down merely 54 hostile aircraft. (Of those, six were helicopters and four were trainers.) That’s barely one a year.
The last time U.S. aircrews claimed 10 hostiles in a day was 1972. The last time anybody downed 20 in a day was the Israelis in 1982. And the last time anybody downed 30 was the last day of World War II.
Since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the greatest area of air-to-air action, by far, has been South America where Honduran, Columbian, and Peruvian pilots interdict drug smugglers. The total numbers are unknown, but in one 11-year period, atleast 24 drug aircraft were shot down by armed Tucanos and Cessna AT-37s.
The situation is not limited to aviation. The U.S. Navy retains a large fleet structure despite the fact that no sea battle worthy of the name has been fought since 1944. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the world entered the post-naval era with no serious threats to maintaining the sea lanes.
None of the foregoing means that we should stop buying fighters or aircraft carriers. But it does mean that decades of evidence call into question our military acquisition policy in a changed world.
Let’s face it—the military is a huge market. Recent budgets of the Department of Defense have run about $500 billion with no end in sight, despite the United States being $20 trillion in debt.
This story is from the April 2017 edition of Flight Journal.
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This story is from the April 2017 edition of Flight Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Keeping 'em Flying!- The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics
The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics. Nearly 80 years after the end of World War II, the fighters, bombers, and trainers that defended freedom continue to enthrall and inspire audiences at airshows, thanks to generations of warbird pilots, maintainers, restoration specialists and collectors. In our September, 2022 issue we introduced you to the young warbird pilots, maintainers and restorers who are already beginning to displace more "experienced" warbird fliers and fixers.
The Corsair Maker- Bringing the Vought Corsair to the fleet was a daunting challenge that spanned nearly three years.
When the first production Corsairs exited the Stratford factory in June 1942, Guyton, as seen here, was tapped to manage the flight and production test program. Armament was improved to six wing-mounted .50s, displacing the wing fuel tanks now placed forward of the cockpit which necessarily was moved rearward by 32 inches. Overall length was increased, armor plate added, landing, arresting and tail gear improved, aileron control enhanced, and a new version of the R2800 engine was incorporated. But those significant improvements unearthed numerous idiosyncrasies that would take an extended period to make the Corsair acceptable for carrier operations
STARFIRES Over Korea
F-94 pilots tangle with MiGs
Training Mission
BY THE TIME THIS TRAINING SCENE WAS RECORDED in Canne, Italy, in July 1944, Allied Yugoslavian airmen had several years of experience working side by side with the RAF.
KC-46A PEGASUS
Next generation aerial refueler
"SATAN'S ANGELS" ACE - Tales from a P-38 pilot in the South Pacific
\"AS A KID GROWING UP on the bow of my father's tugboat, hauling oil from Seattle to Alaska, I had a lot of time on my hands.
WACO YKC - Stunning and Ultra Rare Golden Age Cabin Flier
BETWEEN THE IMPLEMENTATION of the Air Commerce Act of 1926 and December 31, 1948, all U.S. registered flying machines sported an N-number, much as they do today, the \"N\" being an internationally recognized identifier for the United States. During that period, however, an additional letter-identifier followed the \"N.\" Depending on their category, they were registered in the NC (Commercial), NG (Glider), NL (Limited), NR (Restricted, usually meaning race airplanes), NS (State government), and, finally, NX (experimental).
BADER'S HURRICANES
Double amputee fighter ace Douglas Bader and his Battle of Britain Hurricanes
Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
ZERO MYTH, MYSTERY, AND FACT
A test pilot compares the A6M5 Zero to U.S. fighters
