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Subject: USAF CoS Prefers F-35, UAS and NGB. Also say USAF has enough TACAIR capability
DarthAmerica    5/27/2009 10:45:26 PM
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz said increasing production rates for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and developing the next-generation bomber are at the top of his wish list of projects to fund if the service had more money.

SOURCE:
h*tp://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aerospacedaily&id=news/SCHWARTZ052009.xml&headline=Schwartz%20Wish%20List:%20Boost%20F-35,%20Plan%20NGB


Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on the Air Force?s $160.5 billion fiscal 2010 budget request May 19, Schwartz said service leaders felt they had enough tactical aircraft capability despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates? plans to halt F-22 Raptor procurement at 187 aircraft.

The Air Force chief said the service?s leadership believed it was a ?prudent opportunity to accelerate the retirement of older aircraft.? The FY ?10 budget calls for retiring 250 F-15s, F-16s and A-10s, enabling the Air Force to redistribute more than $3.5 billion over the next six years to modernize combat air forces into a ?smaller but more capable force,? Schwartz and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told lawmakers in joint written testimony.

Schwartz did say more money would make it easier and faster to upgrade remaining legacy aircraft and make modifications to the F-22 until the F-35 starts rolling off the line in large numbers.

Schwartz said the Air Force would like to see F-35 production boosted to at least 80 aircraft and perhaps as many as 110 per year before the F-16s start retiring in large numbers.

Committee members, including Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Rep. John McHugh (N.Y.), the senior Republican on the panel, worried about producing and flying an aircraft while it was still being tested.

Donley conceded budget constraints compelled the Air Force to make some difficult calls. If there was more money ?we might have made some different choices,? Schwartz added. But both leaders insisted the Air Force was not short-changing itself.

The chief of staff said his wish list also included developing plans for the future long-range strike capability. ?We need, through the QDR [Quadrennial Defense Review] and the NPR [Nuclear Posture Review] to get our secretary of defense comfortable with the parameters of what we propose for that platform.?

Gates canceled funding for a next-generation bomber study, which Schwartz said was of concern to the Air Force ?Once we get him comfortable with the parameters ? range, payload, manned, unmanned, nuclear, non-nuclear, low observable, very low observable ? then we need to proceed aggressively with that program.?

Schwartz said the Air Force also needs to explore using additional automation in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to reduce manpower. He noted that currently one crew operates a single UAS.
 
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DarthAmerica    ADDENDUM   5/27/2009 10:50:20 PM
F-22 PROCUREMENT NOT IN THE USAF CoS "Wish List" of top unfunded priorities...




-DA 
 
 
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gf0012-aust       5/27/2009 11:12:30 PM
Schwartz said the Air Force also needs to explore using additional automation in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to reduce manpower. He noted that currently one crew operates a single UAS.
The Wedgetail demonstrations have already shown that a controller can manage a flight/hive of UAV/UAS.
 
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DarthAmerica       5/27/2009 11:58:26 PM

Schwartz said the Air Force also needs to explore using additional automation in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to reduce manpower. He noted that currently one crew operates a single UAS.

The Wedgetail demonstrations have already shown that a controller can manage a flight/hive of UAV/UAS.
 
This is one of the things I was alluding to earlier in the discussion about conformal arrays in the other thread. Both the time and technology are right to push this capability to operational status in the very near future.

-DA 
 
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DarthAmerica    More UAV stuff...   5/28/2009 12:50:11 AM


link width="425" height="344">
link width="425" height="344">  
link width="425" height="344">
link width="425" height="344">  
 

link width="425" height="344">

link width="425" height="344">

 
 
...Just figured I'd dump it all here to consolidate similar threads.
 
-DA

 
 
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EvilFishy       5/28/2009 2:39:38 AM
Hmm.
 
 
A computer rendering of something that does not exist VS a Fighter that exists, is cheap (relatively), and is tasked as the best Air to Air bird every build.
 
I have to go with the computer simulation.   I just hope our enemies have the processing power to play the vid files or that is going to be one awkward kind of war!
 
/s
 
*rolls eyes*
 
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Herald12345    Ignpring the comedy AGAIN>   5/28/2009 3:09:10 AM
USAF CoS Prefers F-35, UAS and NGB. Also say USAF has enough TACAIR capability
 
How is an air dominance fighter dedicated to destroying enemy IADS a CAS or TACAIR asset again?
 
The bomber and the Sparkie indicate MORE TACAIR not less.
 
So that artoicle was written by someone who doesn't know what he discusses?

Figures.
 
Also figures that the important part of the testimony is missing. Namely that the Air Force HAS to retire old aur frames, that it has no choice in this as these aircraft are used up.
 
Nothing was said about tankers or cargo airlift?
 
As usual the Youtube flurry proved nothing.
 
What is proven though Evil Fishy is that we have some bright boys at General Atomics who have looked at the mid-range market for robot bombers and recon birds. Now Australia may not be able to afford a $130 million RQ4N right now, but it MIGHT be able to afford a $30 million RQ9NB. 

Herald
 
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WarNerd       5/28/2009 3:24:57 AM

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on the Air Force?s $160.5 billion fiscal 2010 budget request May 19, Schwartz said service leaders felt they had enough tactical aircraft capability despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates? plans to halt F-22 Raptor procurement at 187 aircraft.

The Air Force chief said the service?s leadership believed it was a ?prudent opportunity to accelerate the retirement of older aircraft.? The FY ?10 budget calls for retiring 250 F-15s, F-16s and A-10s, enabling the Air Force to redistribute more than $3.5 billion over the next six years to modernize combat air forces into a ?smaller but more capable force,? Schwartz and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told lawmakers in joint written testimony.
Anyone know how many A-10s will be left?
 
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DarthAmerica       5/28/2009 3:25:18 AM
Herald,

I have no problem with your disagreement. But If you would please not insert the insults I'd appreciate it. I started this thread specifically to move past the other one that turned hostile. In case you haven't noticed you are really upsetting a lot of the others here by carrying this negative attitude into every thread and especially threads where I'm present. If you find me discussion topics to be comedy, then why not just choose the option of ignoring them? It kind of makes sense don't you think? Otherwise, state your disagreement and spare the PERSONAL STUFF.

In order to nip this in the bud, I've notified the Mods.

Regards
-DA  

 
 
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DarthAmerica    Warnerd Reply   5/28/2009 3:29:34 AM



Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on the Air Force?s $160.5 billion fiscal 2010 budget request May 19, Schwartz said service leaders felt they had enough tactical aircraft capability despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates? plans to halt F-22 Raptor procurement at 187 aircraft.



The Air Force chief said the service?s leadership believed it was a ?prudent opportunity to accelerate the retirement of older aircraft.? The FY ?10 budget calls for retiring 250 F-15s, F-16s and A-10s, enabling the Air Force to redistribute more than $3.5 billion over the next six years to modernize combat air forces into a ?smaller but more capable force,? Schwartz and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told lawmakers in joint written testimony.


Anyone know how many A-10s will be left?
They are only retiring 3 A-10's out of the 250 total aircraft AFAIK.

-DA 
 
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DarthAmerica    Warnerd Reply   5/28/2009 3:31:11 AM
My bad WarNerd. I forgot the link!

-DA 
 
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EvilFishy       5/28/2009 3:33:24 AM
This is what I know:
-we have not paid for our F-35s yet.  That money has neither been allocated nor spent.
-we do not have any money left (assuming we do not print more in which case we still cannot buy F-35s in bulk)
 
How are we going to replace our teen series fighters when they go the way of the bone yard?
 
F-35?   With what money?   Congress is now discussing a VAT ontop of a national SALES tax on top of massive carbon tax via Cap and Trade on top of the cut to DOD on top of God only knows what else.
 
Congress does not propose massive taxes because they think new taxes will improve their re-election chances.
Congress proposes and PASSES massive taxes and tax increases because they have spent themselves broker than hell.
 
Can somebody please tell me where the money will come from to allow us to be able to buy the number of F-35s we need to replace the F-15s and F-16s that we are going to lose?
 
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DarthAmerica    EF Reply   5/28/2009 3:48:21 AM

Can somebody please tell me where the money will come from to allow us to be able to buy the number of F-35s we need to replace the F-15s and F-16s that we are going to lose?


Retiring those older F-teens will pay for about ~25% of it by itself. Other than that the funds will come from where all funding comes from. How congress actually does that funding is really beyond the scope of this.

-DA 
 
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DarthAmerica       5/28/2009 3:51:52 AM
5/20/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Following the May 7 roll-out of the fiscal year 2010 budget proposal for the Department of Defense, Air Force officials announced plans to retire legacy fighters to fund a smaller and more capable force and redistribute people for higher priority missions.
 
The Combat Air Forces restructuring plan would accelerate the retirement of approximately 250 aircraft, which includes 112 F-15 Eagles, 134 F-16 fighting Falcons and three A-10 Thunderbolt IIs. This does not include the five fighters previously scheduled for retirement in FY10. 

"We have a strategic window of opportunity to do some important things with fighter aircraft restructuring," said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley. "By accepting some short-term risk, we can convert our inventory of legacy fighters and F-22 (Raptors) into a smaller, more flexible and lethal bridge to fifth-generation fighters like the F-35 (Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter). We'll also add manpower to capabilities needed now for operations across the spectrum of conflict." 

Under the plan, cost savings of $355 million in FY10 and $3.5 billion over the next five fiscal years would be used to reduce current capability gaps. Air Force officials would invest most of the funds in advanced capability modifications to remaining fighters and bombers. Some would go toward procuring munitions for joint warfighters, including the small diameter bomb, hard-target weapons and the AIM-120D and AIM-9X missiles. The remainder would be dedicated to the procurement or sustainment of critical intelligence capabilities such as the advanced targeting pod as well as enabling technologies for tactical air controllers and special operations forces. 

"We've taken this major step only after a careful assessment of the current threat environment and our current capabilities," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. "Make no mistake, we can't stand still on modernizing our fighter force. The Air Force's advantage over potential adversaries is eroding, and this endangers both air and ground forces alike unless there is a very significant investment in bridge capabilities and fifth-generation aircraft. CAF restructuring gets us there." 

The CAF restructuring plan, which will require appropriate environmental analyses, would enable Air Force officials to use reassignment and retraining programs to move approximately 4,000 manpower authorizations to emerging and priority missions such as manned and unmanned surveillance operations and nuclear deterrence operations. 

This realignment would include the expansion of MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper and MC-12 Liberty aircrews; the addition of a fourth active-duty B-52 Stratofortress squadron; and the expansion of Distributed Common Ground System and information processing, exploitation and dissemination capabilities for continued combatant commander support in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other adjustments. 

Secretary Donley and General Schwartz have committed the Air Force to initiatives that will reinvigorate its nuclear enterprise and field 50 unmanned combat air patrols for ongoing operations by FY11. 

"What we're looking for is a force mix that meets the current mission requirements of combatant commanders while providing a capable force to meet tomorrow's challenges," Secretary Donley said.
 
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EvilFishy       5/28/2009 4:15:49 AM

---DA---Retiring those older F-teens will pay for about ~25% of it by itself.---

Ok so we retire 1,000 - 2,000 birds to pay for a few hundred F-35s?

---DA---Other than that the funds will come from where all funding comes from.---

Perhaps you should READ what I write before commenting: there are no more funds.

The IRS took in approximately 30% less in revenues than last year.
The Congress, this year alone, is working on a budget deficit of more than $1.5 trillion dollars.
The Congress and Obama officials are publicly floating the idea of a V.A.T. and a national Sales Tax on top of a Cap and Trade tax and last year the Congress held hearings on nationalizing 401ks and IRAs.

Why are they floating these ideas and working on such legislation? They are out of money and the credit card is maxed out.

Tell me, in something other than vagaries, where will the Congress get the funds for all of the F-35s you think we will get?

---DA---How congress actually does that funding is really beyond the scope of this.---

Armatures talk tactics.
Professionals talk logistics.

You have typed many words over how the F-35 will do this and that and blah, blah, blah, but you have YET to address the only REAL IMPORTANT ISSUE: how will be PAY FOR THEM!?

I do not care if the F-35 can fly upside down and destroy a planet while in a Cobra while making toast with no edges on the bread: if you cannot BUY THEM, you cannot ACQUIRE THEM.

So answer this pertinent question please: how will this Congress, which has already slashed the DOD budget and plans on doing so in the future, get the money to pay for F-35s?
 
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DarthAmerica       5/28/2009 4:45:08 AM
Evil fishy,

A couple of things. First, I'm not interested in debating the vagaries of congressional funding practices. You should post something in the United States board about that. My intent is to discuss this within the context of the United States Air Force and the military decision-making process. When I said retirement of the 250 legacy fighters would pay roughly 25% of the initial joint strike fighter procurement of up to 80, I was referring to the $3.5 billion in savings mentioned in the article. Lastly, the congressional budgeting process, has nothing to do with logistics and the context in which we are speaking.

-DA 
 
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