Your Nation's Air Force Mark III: Best Korea Edition

[Molotov Cluster]

I'm not sure if this counts seeing as we are not based in or near korea but we have most modern air force flying contraptions.
Jets, regular planes, bombers, paratrooper planes, helicopters,
umm... other flying things used in warfare.

We have it. Mostly from major super powers like America, Russia, UK, and Europe.

[New Chilokver]

That new thread smell... It's the scent of billions of dollars going into failed acquisition programs.

[Gallia-]

USAF has the most successful acquisitions with the possible exception of Virginia, though.

[Sjovenia]

Well in all fairness, the A-10 Warthog is still a spectacular weapons system, and A-10 pilots love flying it. All that needs to happen is to modernize it. AND NO THE F-35 IS NOT THE ANSWER! THAT PLANE IS A POS!

Agreed...I cant remember what a former pilot had to say about it but it was on reddit, if some one can find it, about how the A-10 was against tanks and vehicles used by terrorists. Pretty much along the lines of against Taliban its fairly effective but if it were a nation like Russia it would have a little bit of difficulty. I do think it only needs to be modernized though. Any thoughts?

[Spirit of Hope]

Well in all fairness, the A-10 Warthog is still a spectacular weapons system, and A-10 pilots love flying it. All that needs to happen is to modernize it. AND NO THE F-35 IS NOT THE ANSWER! THAT PLANE IS A POS!

Agreed...I cant remember what a former pilot had to say about it but it was on reddit, if some one can find it, about how the A-10 was against tanks and vehicles used by terrorists. Pretty much along the lines of against Taliban its fairly effective but if it were a nation like Russia it would have a little bit of difficulty. I do think it only needs to be modernized though. Any thoughts?

Not really a way you can modernize it. Against modern heavy armor it's main gun isn't all that useful. It's relativly slow, and to use it's main gun it has to fly rather low. This all means it is exposed to modern air defense and modern fighters. For carrying bombs it's beaten by all the other multi role and fighter aircraft, which can carry bombs and go faster.

Basically it's job can be done better by attack helicopters or a multi role aircraft, both of which can also do things the A-10 can't do.

[Gallia-]

Well in all fairness, the A-10 Warthog is still a spectacular weapons system, and A-10 pilots love flying it. All that needs to happen is to modernize it. AND NO THE F-35 IS NOT THE ANSWER! THAT PLANE IS A POS!

Agreed...I cant remember what a former pilot had to say about it but it was on reddit, if some one can find it, about how the A-10 was against tanks and vehicles used by terrorists. Pretty much along the lines of against Taliban its fairly effective but if it were a nation like Russia it would have a little bit of difficulty. I do think it only needs to be modernized though. Any thoughts?

It's too expensive for the USAF to justify operating single purpose combat aircraft.

Su-25 might be better since it has more room in the nose for electronics.

[Sjovenia]

Agreed...I cant remember what a former pilot had to say about it but it was on reddit, if some one can find it, about how the A-10 was against tanks and vehicles used by terrorists. Pretty much along the lines of against Taliban its fairly effective but if it were a nation like Russia it would have a little bit of difficulty. I do think it only needs to be modernized though. Any thoughts?

Not really a way you can modernize it. Against modern heavy armor it's main gun isn't all that useful. It's relativly slow, and to use it's main gun it has to fly rather low. This all means it is exposed to modern air defense and modern fighters. For carrying bombs it's beaten by all the other multi role and fighter aircraft, which can carry bombs and go faster.

Basically it's job can be done better by attack helicopters or a multi role aircraft, both of which can also do things the A-10 can't do.

Yea that's what the pilot said was the problem. It was fine against these weaker terror groups but against a fully trained and well armed nation like Russia it wouldn't play out well.

"It's relativly slow, and to use it's main gun it has to fly rather low" SLOW LOW KILL EVERYTHING BELOW PIL SUNG WARTHOGS HUAH!

Wouldn't attack helicopters be just as exposed like the A-10?

[The Corparation]

Attack Helicopters can use terrain as a cover.

[Sjovenia]

Attack Helicopters can use terrain as a cover.

How so?

[New Chilokver]

Attack Helicopters can use terrain as a cover.

How so?

Helicopters can hover behind terrain, popping up only to attack. Fixed wing aircraft like the A-10 can't.

[Spirit of Hope]

Attack Helicopters can use terrain as a cover.

How so?

A helicopter can hover just behind a hill, or some other peice of terrain, and then pop up to engage enemy forces. After engaging it can simply fall back behind the coer of a hill, or other terrain. Basically it's just like a rifleman hiding behind a wall, standing up to fire, and then taking cover behind the wall again.

[Sjovenia]

Gotchya!

[Licana]

More like I'd rather not spend money on the F-35 and would prefer something that makes my fleet of F-16s actually useful in the coming decades while Lockheed buries its head deeper into its own arse. At this point, I see few alternatives to the F-35 besides upgrading old aircraft (like the F-16) or NS-wanking some magical upgrades to foreign "equivalents".

Just buy MiG-21 upgraded with like AESA and 3d thurst vectoring.

You could get like 100 of them for the price of like 20 F-16s.

only the freshest of memes

[Rhodesialund]

How so?

Helicopters can hover behind terrain, popping up only to attack. Fixed wing aircraft like the A-10 can't.

Or if you were smart, had a datalinking/shared targeting system, and an OH-58. You could just keep the helicopters below the ridgeline and "lob" the missiles over. The shared targeting system would help take care of the rest.

[New Antonalia]

OK, for a West African nation primarily situated on the Ivory Coast, what would be the best Air-Superiority fighter for me to invest in?

[The Akasha Colony]

OK, for a West African nation primarily situated on the Ivory Coast, what would be the best Air-Superiority fighter for me to invest in?

The same one as any other country really.

The major considerations in choosing aircraft are not geography or location, but need, political alignment, and budget.

[Gig em Aggies]

Not that my nation really needs them but in general
What would be the pro/con relationship of aircraft such as the fictional F/A-37 talon which I already use against such aircraft as the IRL Boeing F/A-XX prototype or similar 6th generation combat aircraft?

[New Chilokver]

Not that my nation really needs them but in general
What would be the pro/con relationship of aircraft such as the fictional F/A-37 talon which I already use against such aircraft as the IRL Boeing F/A-XX prototype or similar 6th generation combat aircraft?

Forward swept swing wings don't work.

[Organized States]

Not that my nation really needs them but in general
What would be the pro/con relationship of aircraft such as the fictional F/A-37 talon which I already use against such aircraft as the IRL Boeing F/A-XX prototype or similar 6th generation combat aircraft?

The F/A-37 isn't practical for a few reasons, mainly due to one, the previously mentioned limitations of Forward Swept Wings, and additionally, we can't judge the pros and cons of the F/A-XX because the program is still remarkably deep in the Black World.

[Gallia-]

Not that my nation really needs them but in general
What would be the pro/con relationship of aircraft such as the fictional F/A-37 talon which I already use against such aircraft as the IRL Boeing F/A-XX prototype or similar 6th generation combat aircraft?

Forward swept swing wings don't work.

[The Kievan People]

They don't work well*

Most of the issues seem to be with supersonic aircraft though. There have been a fair number of successful subsonic FSW aircraft.

[New Chilokver]

Forward swept SWING WINGS don't work.

Forward swept wings certainly work in enhancing maneuverability and agility- their main problem is wing twisting during high speed flight, I believe.

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

Not that my nation really needs them but in general
What would be the pro/con relationship of aircraft such as the fictional F/A-37 talon which I already use against such aircraft as the IRL Boeing F/A-XX prototype or similar 6th generation combat aircraft?

F/A-XX probs doesn't need literal magic to make it work. <.<

[The Akasha Colony]

Not that my nation really needs them but in general
What would be the pro/con relationship of aircraft such as the fictional F/A-37 talon which I already use against such aircraft as the IRL Boeing F/A-XX prototype or similar 6th generation combat aircraft?

The F/A-37 isn't practical for a few reasons, mainly due to one, the previously mentioned limitations of Forward Swept Wings, and additionally, we can't judge the pros and cons of the F/A-XX because the program is still remarkably deep in the Black World.

It's not in the black world.

Because it doesn't really exist except for some concept ideas and vague notions of what the USN might want. The only thing the USN has done so far is officially recognize that it needs a new fighter in the future, although that much was obvious. The form this fighter takes, its performance, its capabilities, etc. are not defined as a set of requirements yet, nevermind as an in-development program.

But even when the contract has been tendered, it's unlikely to be a real "black program." Not anymore so than F-35 has been. Yes, outright performance figures will probably be guarded from the public, but it won't be some super sekrit thing that no one talks about. Especially not given its likely cost and impact on Navy budgeting.

Not that my nation really needs them but in general
What would be the pro/con relationship of aircraft such as the fictional F/A-37 talon which I already use against such aircraft as the IRL Boeing F/A-XX prototype or similar 6th generation combat aircraft?

There is no F/A-XX prototype. Boeing has released concept art but concept art can be made by any 3D graphics professional in a few hours. No one's given them a contract to develop anything so until then it will remain just concept art, because building an actual prototype would be rather expensive and a financial risk Boeing wouldn't shoulder alone. The concept art is meant to represent concepts Boeing thinks are achievable and to basically be food for thought, not a serious "this will be our design" proposal.

But the pro for F/A-XX is that it's at least concept art made by a reputable fighter manufacturer, not a movie prop. The combination of FSW with variable geometry wings, sloppy edge alignment, and top-mounted intakes on F/A-37 is top kek.

[Minroz]

Let's talk about bombers. What did you guys think of the Tupolev Tu-95? Are they still feasible in P/MT?