Because the B-52 isn’t survivable.

Cost was not the reason. The Soviets made submarines weighing thousands of tons out of Titanium. It was simplicity and manufacturing and maintainence ease. Most of the good wielders that could wield Ti were working in the shipyards.

However, making subs out of titanium was too costly for the Soviets. The 945 Sierra SSNs were to be the main Russian 3rd generation SSN class, but it was deemed to costly, so the 971 Akulas took their place. Amazingly, the performance of the (steel) Akulas was very, very close to those of the Sierras. A pretty good naval achievement that. So you had over twice the Akulas built than Sierras.

I doubt the USAF is actually going to get F-35B. It’s just talk.

Calls for JSF cancellation will increase when people holding the purse strings snap out of their reverie and realize the JSF isn’t going to be cheap, and will encounter a lot of the problems that have affected the F-22. This will make the positions between the two aircraft reverse to a certain extent. It won’t be cancelled, but anyone who thinks they’re getting anywhere near 3,000 JSFs like the plan says is simply fantasizing. Maybe 1500.

What is the thing up there anyway?

Don’t forget the F-15. The SU-15 was a fast one as well. Both M2.5 capapbe.

The F-15 can’t reach Mach 2.5 in anything resembling an operational loadout- the only reason they wanted it Mach 2.5 capable was because they were having kittens over FOXBAT at the time. By contrast, MiG-25 can do that in fully mission capable profile (i.e. 4x R-40R/R-40T AAMs)- it had to, as part of it’s requirements.

I don’t know much about the Su-15, so I can’t comment.

The HUD is glowing green. Pretty.

It’s bigger than the Eagle, but I don’t know how much bigger.

I

Those are Uran missiles om that Nanuchka (‘NANUCHKA IV’, only one unit made), Blackcat, not Oniks/Yakhont.