Speaking at the Air Force’s annual convention in the Washington last October, Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the service’s chief for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance warned that
Pilots in future wars will not operate in the “permissive” threat environments of current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Deptula, best known for crafting the Desert Storm air campaign, said potential opponents have learned from U.S. operations and will use precision arsenals [“anti-access weapons,” such as long range precision missiles] to stop a buildup of U.S. airpower near their borders before a war even begins.
He viewed the F-22 as being ineffective in the air and presumably most aircraft of any type:
…[T]he F-22 and F-35, along with a host of older F-15 and F-16. Overseas bases from which these aircraft operate are now threatened by increasingly accurate ballistic missiles in Chinese, Russian, Iranian and North Korean arsenals, Deptula said. The newest models are road mobile and exceedingly difficult to locate.
He further notes our weaknesses:
- Enemies will use cyber attacks to target U.S. command and control networks and satellite relays, the smooth functioning of which the military is now completely dependant.
- Because of improvements in over the horizon and passive radars, U.S. aircraft will be detected long before they reach their targets.
- Speaking to the more traditional realm of air-to-air combat, so dear to his audience’s heart, Deptula contends that the U.S. technological edge there is eroding. [Free Republic]
The fact of the matter is that the Russians and Chinese are developing their 5th generation aircraft for export. These will completely obscure anything in our arsenal and, at the same time, reduce our competitiveness in aircraft manufacture.
The unveiling of the one of the PAK-FA prototypes, the Sukhoi T-50 gave Russia a jump start in updating their fighter aircraft arsenal and jump started a lot of heated discussion in the US over Obama’s scuttling of the F-22 over the F-35.
The [PAK FA] is expected to enter in service in 2015 and will be supplied to the Russian Air Force along with Su-35 fighters. Commenting the start of PAK FA flight trials, Sukhoi head Mikhail Pogosyan also mentioned that India will join the program on later stages. [Aviation Week]
And India now has a strategic partnership with South Korea “under which defence industry collaboration is anticipated to expand.” Out of this, South Korea has garnered the sale of up to 60 KT-1 Woong-Bee intermediate trainers to meet Indian Air Force requirements. [Jane's]
In truth, the arms supply industry (air, missile, etc.) is in flux. New strategic alliances exist side by side with the old. We are increasingly seen as an also ran. As Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptulah has pointed out, the theatre of war extends to public perception and the victory goes to the masters of manipulating it. This last is al Qaeda’s weapon of choice.
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HotAir – Gates and Mullen to testify about repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” next week
Posted on January 29, 2010