Interesting that the F-22 is raising its sleek head again - very much against Gates' wishes congress has allotted money for building of ten more and a disgruntled USAF general has written a popular report on how cutting the program irrefutably short dicks the strategic needs of the US. For my part, I love the plane - it's just so much better looking than the F-35 - it is definitely the 'hot chick' of US weapons platforms.
My superficial fixations aside, I know the USAF believes that each tactical wing needs a specific number of F22's to fulfill a vital forward operations role etc etc - in short they see it as playing a pivotal part in acquiring air superiority - and all that may be true and well thought out, wha'd' I know about it? My point has always been that the argument opponents make against the plane is the very reason it should be continued: its vast technological superiority over the competition, they say, renders it an extravagant waste of effort - like buying a Ferrari for driving to work: but I say maintaining a vast technological superiority over the opponents is what you want if you're the US because that inhibits their ability and desire to catch up - to me the important question you have to ask is if you don't have the F-22 does that leave the door open for the bad guys to try and catch up? [not that the F-35 isn't a rather high tech 5th generation fighter in its own right]
Look at how many countries now have plans to put men on the moon by 2020 - would that be the case if the US had continued its presence there, had built bases there, we're on the cusp of a visit to Mars? I doubt it. And now the US finds itself in another race to the moon - China wants to go, India wants to go, the EU wants to go - suddenly the moon is strategically relevant again - and all because the US relinquished its technological superiority there.
related: the US has recently launched a moon probe that will insert into a very low orbit and send back HD pictures of the surface - will photograph virtually the entire surface of the moon - the interesting point being that it is scheduled to send back very nice pictures of all the Apollo landing sites in time for the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing - we'll get to again see all those American flags trembling in the thin lunar atmosphere, the untouched footprints of those intrepid men - is this the US trying to reassert its ownership of the moon?
