The US weapons industry is fast becoming a black hole on the lines of some of the fantastic soviet projects near the end of the collapse. The main problem is that only two contractors survive. Free markets have come to an end. These mammoth bureaucratic monsters will churn out disfunctional aircraft in the near future. It is for the rest of the world to take advantage of this lag in competitiveness and get back on the race. What better a smack on the bottom than a YF-23 – J-10 – JSF blend to bring things to perspective?
Concerning the Russian card, I think its a bluff. The Pakfa isn’t the real thing ppl should be worried about. A single engined plane has many advantages concerning stealth and the kind of combat that is expected in the future (Stealth vs stealth or stealth vs. anti-stealth). For me, the real plane to watch from the Russians is the MiG-E. The mystery plane. Only one person on this or any of the forums know anything about it and he doesn’t intend to let us in on the secret. So much secrecy from the Russian industry is unexpected and means they are really cooking something in there. All that we know is a AL-41 derived engine will be used and the plane will be a delta. Perhaps along the lines of the YF-23?? who knows.
The quest for airdominance will continue. But playing fields are being evened. Firstly because the EU is pooling in together, China is expanding incredibly fast, Japan is waking up and rearing to go. Russia is going back to old soviet ways. And while all this is happening, the US is wasting its time in the sands and using up its capital to replenishing and restocking and researching on fighting terrorism, something that ends up making a military weaker in conventional warfare in the long run.
The fact that times are rapidly changing was for me, significantly illustrated by the recent downturn in world markets. The real player to watch was the Bank of Japan rather than the US treasury a shock to the old school Neocon boys for sure.
Sign In
