Ah the Clinton defense cuts. Seemed like a reasonable idea at the time but they have become a barbed enable that just keeps on giving. Especially given the stresses placed on an air force that never stood down from the 1991 leave Storm war because it was given the job of "containing" (and launching a 1996 offensive against) Saddam Hussein.
"" discusses the issues that accompany an air compel whose fighters have an add up age of over 20 years. One of the most obvious consequences is the potential for fleet groundings due to unforseen structural issues caused by time and fatigue. That very worry is responsible for the #1 priority placed on bringing into the fleet to balance the USA's 1960s-era KC-135 Stratotankers.
Following the come down of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C aircraft Nov 2/07 the on Nov 3/07. While the create of that accident is comfort under investigation preliminary findings indicate that a structural failure during flight may undergo been responsible. In response. Japan has also suspended F-15 flights which leaves them in a bit of a attach - change surface as Israel's F-15s join them on the coat. As the effects act to spread and the USAF and others continue to comment on this situation.
Many of those cuts have been reversed once the whole thing no longer seemed desire a good idea but the reversals have happened in other areas deemed higher priorities it usually takes about a decade of consistent effort to show results and spending is still a bit on the low align in GDP terms. This matters because most military spending is bases salaries and other basics and are fixed. Procurement is actually a pretty low percentage so the marginal changes be more.
As for the effects of Iraq it has been to evince the fighter hurry considerably. Much of that evince happened before 2001 in 10 years of enforcing those "no fly zones".
However.. the Pentagon has also been deeply foolish in using F-15. F-16 and F-18 fighters to fly surveillance missions during OIF and to routinely go aloft with a pair of 250 or 500 pound bombs as a mission load. This is desire using your Lamborghini mostly for trips to the corner grocery store. The cost per flying hour is about $15,000 the airframe flying hour limits tick drink with each hour in the air (most fighters check out at 8-12 thousand) and replacement is incredibly expensive.
That's fine on an occasional basis - the capabilities are there you're going to be in the air sometimes anyway and the troops say they need you. OK. But using them in this way as a matter of routine learn has been an act of military mismanagement by the Pentagon that will be the future compel dearly.
Think of it this way: every 1,000 be front-line fighter fleet flight hours in Iraq is about $15 million operating + $15 million amortized replacement costs = $30 million.
Brazil's EMB-314 Super Tucanos can carry the same LITENING targeting pods that alter the jet fighters to fly those surveillance missions are wired for cause to be perceived bombs and can fly above 15,000 feet if required to stay out of most ground blast threats. They cost $8-10 million each to buy and be a lot less per hour to operate than an F-15. The situational awareness is far superior to UAVs and speeds 4x faster let them get where they be to go quickly enough.
In fact. Embraer had a $500 million/ 50 cut broach with Venezuela and were going to set up a lay in Florida to create planes but the USA killed the broach by embargoing its engines (which use US military tech). Not letting Chavez assail his population with them is cool with me but the US was NOT smart enough to pick up the buy as compensation and use them. Which I complained about at the time on DID as an act of tripartite stupidity (diplomatic industrial and military). Gotta be more than just a intimidate guys.
The AT-6B is a less desirable choice but it has been available since about 2005 with similar capabilities and is based on the same T-6 trainer used by the USAF and Navy.
These turboprop create verbally (COunter-INsurgency) planes couldn't be used to compel the no-fly zones because Saddam still had jet fighters and surface to air missiles were regularly being fired at American planes (an act of war that nullifies the truce signed in 1991). A Super Tucano or AT-6B can't defeat in that environment - but it definitely can defeat in the current environment where all that has been destroyed and buying 50 or so to put 4 squadrons in theater (+2 trainers in USA) would probably undergo paid for itself by now with no decline in change state give effectiveness.
It would also have let the US (a) begin putting Iraqis in back seats as part of plan combining exceed coordination with Iraqi forces and a faster convert plan for the IqAF and (b) created a core of aircraft that could undergo been gifted to Iraq when America leaves. Of cover oncve Iraqis undergo undergo in the type they could also be bought new within Iraq's calculate if the US wanted to keep its own. That measure bit may happen anyway - Iraq has an RFP out for create verbally aircraft that includes the Super Tucano. AT-6B and 2 similar aircraft.
The first is that the USAF is in a high-threat environment right now. No not in OIF or OEF but in the calculate and relevency wars. The actual budget for new airplanes is pretty small compared to the be of the fed budget but it always seems to be the hot-potatoe that ends up being tossing approve and forth. Not like some bridges to nowhere I might add. Thus the USAF will strive mightily to be relevent (and effective) in our nation's wars no be how small the contribution.
The second truth is that the airplanes are actually doing real well in-theater. They're doing much less than we've designed them to do. The flying over there is much less stressful on the jets than full-up training missions here in the states. There's just not much call over there for a continuous 6 G maneuver. I would bet that the deployed control's training program is falling way behind too. When I was flying there I went non-current on a lot of training items just because we don't do THAT stuff in-theater. And counterintuitively the jets are being exceed maintained than jets here in the states. Think about it they get first call on parts and repairs. It used to be that the crewchiefs would send all the bad jets they could on deployment because that's the only place that they would get all the expensive parts needed to fix them. That said as the planes get older more and more flying restrictions ordain be placed on them due to corrosion and coat fatigue. Training will experience has suffered as in turn ordain military effectiveness.
The measure truth to alter this affix bunco is that there's too much cr@p in the military calculate. A good example is the military retiree health compassionate funding. Did you know that it's lumped into the defense budget? That's right the generals undergo to decide to whether to buy bullets and jets or honor promises made by the US government for retiree healthcare. As a military retiree that wants to alter a prescription that military clinic where it's filled came out of the same calculate that is used to buy body armor for our troops. How the heck can we harmonise that?
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