Quote:
Originally Posted by gospodin
And the F-20 was based on the 22-year-old F-5. The Pentagon is in love with new stuff, they get all gaga over a brand-new aircraft versus pushing the design of older, still-amazing airframes. This is never more apparent than with the battle to retire the A-10s. The 'Hogs could undergo a full upgrade in avionics, wing design and engines, and be outstanding for another 30 years...but the stupidity and short-sightedness of our military leadership can't stand the idea of flying more "old" airplanes, even if nothing new can touch them.
|
yups... but the eagle hasn't ceased production whereas the raptor has. upgrading the eagle would be a much cheaper exercise than resurrecting the raptor, just saying. but yeah... vanity of having a good looking bird over an aging design always hold sway. and back to the lightning 2... the longer the fiasco continues, the more disenchanted the contributing nations will be. it's a test of patience.
as for the uavs... the us may not be heading in that direction but china has gone the way of specific purpose uavs over an all purpose uav. it has perhaps turned out to be cheaper too...