Warbird Pilot wrote:Yeah, ones that will be completey obsolete once the JSF and F-22 are fully deployed....
I was aware of that factor. I am just saying that if a major customer is going to be kept out of the technology development and manufacturing, that customer should be asking the question... "What is in it for me?" Right now with the JSF, there is very little benefit to UK industry. A society needs to be concerned about that because it can affect the health of the technology base, and you don't have a strong armed forces without a strong technology base backing them up.
As for the the JSF and F-22... they are going to kick... behinds. But then what other airforce can really rival the F-15 and A-10 level of techology when used with the proper tactics? I have to wonder what the point of the advanced technology of the stealth and supercruise is if the old technology is still superior to what else is out there.
A side line to all of this is that there is alot of money being spent in the US on technology. U.S. citizens are certainly seeing results for it, but the spending is far outreaching what the U.S. allies can spend. If the U.S. wants to maintain interoperability with their friends they are going to have to slow down significantly.
I hope that this is simply taken as friendly comentary. I was intending none of this to be mud slinging or political in any way.
Mike