Re: Way OT :o) Stealth and Countermeasures...

*The exact same thing was said of the F-15 and the Mig-21, 25 etc....
*The F-22 is more capable than either the Su-27, (Production version)
*or 
MiG29.

It reminds me of a passage I read in a book titled "Heavy Losses" about
the 
American military equipment developement and procurement 
programs/industries. When the comment was made that one F14 cost the
same as 
three F4's the reply was that the F14 would shoot down the F4 every time
in 
simulated air combat. Of course what wasn't mentioned was that the same 
simulations had shown that three F4's would shoot down one F14 everytime

too. The point is how many assets is a side willing to risk? Especially 
expensive, valuable and hard to replace ones?

*I have to ask. Where you there for Desert Shield/Storm? Saudi did NOT
*have 
far more infrastructure than we needed. We had to drag a lot of *it with
us, 
(part of the build up time). They had buildings and *runways, and they
lent 
us the bunkers, but for the most part our *aircraft resided in bunkers
WE 
built. We had to do major repairs to *their airbases and facilities,
(not to 
mention WE repaired a lot of *their aircraft for them) in order to use
them.

*That I know of neither Brindisi(sp) or Aviano are "Large." In fact
*Aviano 
was my second station, and it was smallish back when it DIDN'T *have an 
actual mission. It was not built up until the problems in the *Balkans
began 
and most of what was built up is overcrowded and *temporary.

*Actually, bare-basing is how we are TRAINED to fight a war. We
*practice 
going to a bare base and hope we don't have to. We can be *set up and
flying 
sorties within 12 hours.

*We never do. We train to do landing, buildup, generate and launch all 
*under WORSE conditions than we will ever face.

*Actually? We could have started the air campaign 24 hours after the
*first 
assets arrived. It would have been rough, but we could have *done it. We

took awhile to get the assets into place due to constant *negotiation
with 
the Saudis as to what, when, how and how much. We *also used the time to
get 
the facilities and equipment from our hosts *up to snuff. My unit,
(AWACs at 
the time) was genned up to go within *24 hours of the news of the Iraq 
invasion hitting the US. Some of the *actual combat aircraft were ready
in 
less than 12. We had to wait for *the Saudi's to ask for our help. (As
an 
aside, I spent my first week *in Saudi fixing Saudi AWACs rather than 
working on my own. :o)

I was going to put in my points at each paragraph but as they all just
deal 
with the same thing I'll just roll it into one.

You missed the whole point of the comments!!!!!!!

If I follow your argument your saying that there is no difference flying

from a major perminant airbase in the USA with all the modern
conveniences 
and operating from a single bare bones runway 10,000 kilometers away in
some 
Jungle with NO other facilities.

The previous post is saying that there is a vast difference in the
resourses 
expended for the returns gained and I agree.

Thats not to say that it couldn't carry out successfully but not by many
and 
not at a Hideous expence.

Buck

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