The large bomber brings a lot to the fight. Where a ground forward air controller needing air support now, is better off when…. a B-1, because it is fast might only be 10-15 minutes away, and an A-10 which is slow, might be 20 or more minutes away, where one of the most important things in unplanned CAS is response time.[/url]
I agree, you get response time, a huge loiter capability, and a huge ordnance reservoir.
So, who would go for an updated Victor, with its 35 1000lb-bomb load and 1500 mile range, and who opts for an updated Vulcan, with a 21 1000lb-bomb load but a 2300 mile range? In either case, I think the ranges could be increased by replacing the original turbojets with more fuel-efficient turbofans (Rolls-Royce, of course).
I guess either could provide the basis for a supersonic aircraft, but I would be against this as it would require a lot of extra design and mitigate much of the cost benefits of using a tried-and-trusted off-the-shelf design.
Sign In
