Stymiest said:
The F22 identifies multiple targets simultaneously and relays this information to the B1 bomber who then launches some of its payload. This turnas the b1 bomber into the F22 own personal bomb truck, the F22 doesn't need to carry very much payload because it can have massive planes such as the b1 do the heavy lifting. While it targets the b1 bomber does the firing. Its very cool and this is the future of air power. This is why the Americans only built a limited number of F22 because they just don't need any more.
Can't a UAV do the same thing? Why have manned aircraft at all? What happens when the enemy jams the link frequencies?
Stymiest said:
Anything that a navy can do, strategic airpower can do at for a cheaper cost.
Interesting thought. Can you expand on it?
To pull on this string a bit, let's compare the strategic deterrent offered by a USN SSBN against B2 bombers. The sub can launch 24 Trident missiles with nuclear warheads or 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles (weapon load-out depending on which Ohio we're talking about) with no warning and survive the engagement. The B2 can drop 80 x 500 lb JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or 16 x 2,400 lb B83 nuclear bombs with little to no warning and possibly survive, depending on the foe. The total cost of the B2 bomber, which includes development, engineering and testing, averaged US$2.1 billion per aircraft (in 1997 dollars).1 The total cost of the Ohio Class SSBN, which includes development, engineering and testing, averaged US$2 billion per boat (in late 90s dollars).2 Cheaper, more survivable, and larger weapon delivery -> SSBN.
What about sea control (needed to move armies and equipment overseas plus normal global commerce)? With sea control, a country (or alliance) can ensure that its own military and merchant ships can move around at will, while its rivals are forced either to stay in port or to try to evade it. The global commons is a pretty big place to cover with persistent (ie 24/7) air cover. What about the other roles of naval forces (the sea equivalent of boots of the ground)? How do you board pirate vessels, migrant smugglers, etc with strategic airpower?
Some info taken from "Leadmark: The Navy's Strategy for 2020":
"Naval forces are endowed with the following strategic characteristics:
They are unique in their ability to deploy quickly and remain in an area for extended periods without the agreement of neighbouring states and do not need to rely upon complex shore-based in-theatre logistic support systems;
They have an inherent flexibility which allows them to change roles quickly without loss of efficiency or without having to return home to reconfigure;
They can extricate themselves relatively easily from threatening situations, but have the capability to function "in harm's way" and protect themselves and those entrusted to their care; and,
Warships have a symbolic value in that they are legal extensions of their parent state; in this, the presence of a warship is a clear signal of the interest or concern of a state (or of a group of states in the case of a multinational force) about a situation. This unique ability derives from the following attributes of maritime law:
High seas – constitute all parts of the sea which are not included in the internal waters or the territorial seas (normally, the twelve-mile limit) of states. Warships of all states have the freedom to navigate or conduct other activities, subject to certain restrictions, on the high seas.8 As such, there is no equivalent of "overflight permission" (indeed, warships may transit territorial waters in the exercise of "right of innocent passage"), and there are few impediments to sea-basing. Despite the claims of exclusive zones of varying sorts, nearly half of the earth's surface remains under no formal jurisdiction.
Sovereign immunity (extraterritoriality) – in international law, exemption from local territorial jurisdiction, as accorded to foreign sovereigns, diplomatic representatives, etc., which is recognised as pertaining to warships as well. While neither an embassy nor a warship forms any part of the territory of the foreign state to which it belongs (as is commonly misunderstood), the rule of immunity does mean that none of the ordinary processes of law can be directed against the ship (for example, it cannot be arrested for claims arising out of collision or salvage, and no person from shore may board without the captain's permission)."3
1. "B-2 Bomber: Cost and Operational Issues (Letter Report, 08/14/97, GAO/NSIAD-97-181." United States General Accounting Office (GAO), http://www.fas.org/man/gao/nsiad97181.htm, (Accessed 28 April 2010).
2. "New Sub Role Could Buoy Our Economy" Daily Press, http://articles.dailypress.com/2009-04-24/news/0904240025_1_newport-news-shipyard-northrop-ohio-class, (Accessed 28 April 2010).
3. "Leadmark: The Navy's Strategy for 2020 " CF, http://www.navy.dnd.ca/leadmark/doc/index_e.asp, (Accessed 28 April 2010).