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Originally Posted by freakystyly
Kindof related... but how relevant are high G maneuvers and dog fights in this generation? Taking the human out of the equation is one thing but why..
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We've been to this party before.
The Navy almost got saddled with the Douglas F6D Missileer in the late '50s/early '60s. It was a flying brick with no maneuverability, was subsonic and had no defensive capability. Its only purpose in life would have been to orbit away from the fleet and launch missiles at Bad Guys BVR (Beyond Visual Range). Of course, if the Bad Guys got through your screen, got a jump on you, or actually forced you into a situation where you had to engage at close range, you were screwed, blued and tattooed.
The idea was stupid then, and it's stupid now. That's why the F6D never made it off the drawing board-- saner heads figured out that it was a bad, bad idea.
Also- remember when the Navy decided to get rid of the gun on their jets after the F8 because all future dogfights would be BVR? How'd that work out for everybody in Viet Nam?
If you can 100% GUARANTEE that all fights are BVR, that's great. But there is always..... ALWAYS going to be a time where you get into knife fight range-- the enemy does NOT have to play by your rules, so you'd best be prepared.
The ability to do high-g maueuvers and mix it up with the Bad Guys is *essential* to air supremacy. Period.
Anybody who says it isn't is trying to sell something to the government.
R.