Is the US Air Force ready for war with Russia?
A memorandum recently released by the Pentagon, some moments of which have already leaked to the press, makes us once again think that the “power” and “invincibility” of the US army are, to put it mildly, somewhat exaggerated. By the way, this is also evidenced by specific events that clearly have the most direct relation to the appearance of this document.
A memorandum signed by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is dedicated to the combat readiness of the US Air Force. Rather, their main “strike force" is F-16, F-18, F-22 and F-35 fighter-bombers. Alas, according to the current data of the military department, today, according to the most optimistic estimates, 71% of these military vehicles are ready to perform real combat missions. Somehow not very encouraging, is not it? At the same time, the head of the military department directly indicates that the state of the Air Force urgently needs to be improved in view of the "potential war with Russia or China."
It must be said that setting the tasks for his subordinates, the Pentagon chief clearly assesses the realities available - he will consider a 15% increase in the number of fighters capable of at least flying up and landing, even if they are to take off and land! Ideally, 80% of the winged “defenders of America” should be in service, and the Minister of War measures a whole year to achieve this landmark breakthrough. At the same time, Mattis absolutely unequivocally indicates that the planned measures to “raise” aviation, which has turned into ineffective junk, will fly a penny and “devour” a considerable part of the current US military budget of more than $ 700 billion.
Such concern and convulsive attempts to straighten out the situation is quite logical - as it became known, the operation of the latest F-35 has already been suspended not only in the United States itself, but also, for example, in Israel. In any case, Major General Amikam Norkin, commander of the IDF Armed Forces, gave such an order immediately, having learned about the decision of the Americans. The reason is the accident of the F-35B fighter in South Carolina, in the Grace Hill area. Designed for the US Marine Corps, a vertical-landing aircraft with a shortened take-off length crashed down, presumably due to a fuel system failure. In any case, in April of this year, precisely because of problems with such, the pilot had to urgently land a board of a similar modification based on the Marines in North Carolina.
A particularly unpleasant detail of the incident is that the first F-35 combat flight (which the USA has been messing with for 12 years already!) Finally took place on September 27 - in Afghanistan, where the supernova and super-expensive fighter seemed to have "worked out" for the local the Taliban. And literally the very next day - a "bummer" in Grace Hill. F-35, and so has repeatedly been subjected to completely furious criticism, which boils down, basically, to the statement: "the sheepskin is not worth the mint." The car, whose cost is estimated at one hundred million dollars and recognized as the highest price of an airplane in the history of combat aviation, is directly accused of low combat efficiency and reliability. And, it seems, the words of skeptics are confirmed.
What is happening, among other things, hits hard according to the plans that generated this “miracle” equipment»Lockheed Martin Corporation. Its representatives have already announced plans to sell at least 3 thousand F-35s of various modifications around the feast in the coming decades (there are three of them today). 141 fighters out of this quantity managed to be “propelled” by the native military department, however, significantly “moving” in price. The contract was signed exactly before the accident. Somehow it didn’t work well ... Turkey, by the way, was trying to blackmail Washington by deliveries of the same aircraft at one time: “Choose either S-400 or F-35!” One can only try to imagine the malevolent giggle of Erdogan, who opted for Russian missile systems.
However, with, it seems, the old and "tested" American military aircraft, things are also not in the best way. The F-11 Fighting Falcon fighter-bomber that exploded on October 16 in Belgium at the Florence air force base is proof of this. The car, which was running on an open platform, on which routine maintenance was carried out, was blown to pieces, another fighter was damaged, and the technicians serving the aircraft were shocked by the explosion. The causes of the incident have not yet been established. The phlegmatic Belgians have not yet thought of blaming “Russian spies and saboteurs from the GRU” for everything, but American fighters, delivered to the country about 20-30 years ago, calling them obsolete worthless pieces of iron, are already making fire in the country.
Today, the United States, as American military experts admit, pays for the systematic cutting of its own military budget and neglect of the development of its own army. But, first of all, for his own incredible conceit and contemptuous arrogant attitude towards the “potential adversary”. Considering themselves to be the only real military force on Earth for decades, the Americans managed not to “notice” the rapid development of the armies of Russia and China. Their Armed Forces, for years did not participate in any military conflict with any enemy of comparable strength, and America gained its most convincing victories in Hollywood blockbusters and computer "shooters".
And today, the Pentagon continues to insist on preparations for "potential wars", not wanting to abandon its assigned to it is unclear by what right the role of the "world gendarme". The reality is that America has already lost the competition with our country in the military sphere.
A memorandum signed by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is dedicated to the combat readiness of the US Air Force. Rather, their main “strike force" is F-16, F-18, F-22 and F-35 fighter-bombers. Alas, according to the current data of the military department, today, according to the most optimistic estimates, 71% of these military vehicles are ready to perform real combat missions. Somehow not very encouraging, is not it? At the same time, the head of the military department directly indicates that the state of the Air Force urgently needs to be improved in view of the "potential war with Russia or China."
It must be said that setting the tasks for his subordinates, the Pentagon chief clearly assesses the realities available - he will consider a 15% increase in the number of fighters capable of at least flying up and landing, even if they are to take off and land! Ideally, 80% of the winged “defenders of America” should be in service, and the Minister of War measures a whole year to achieve this landmark breakthrough. At the same time, Mattis absolutely unequivocally indicates that the planned measures to “raise” aviation, which has turned into ineffective junk, will fly a penny and “devour” a considerable part of the current US military budget of more than $ 700 billion.
Such concern and convulsive attempts to straighten out the situation is quite logical - as it became known, the operation of the latest F-35 has already been suspended not only in the United States itself, but also, for example, in Israel. In any case, Major General Amikam Norkin, commander of the IDF Armed Forces, gave such an order immediately, having learned about the decision of the Americans. The reason is the accident of the F-35B fighter in South Carolina, in the Grace Hill area. Designed for the US Marine Corps, a vertical-landing aircraft with a shortened take-off length crashed down, presumably due to a fuel system failure. In any case, in April of this year, precisely because of problems with such, the pilot had to urgently land a board of a similar modification based on the Marines in North Carolina.
A particularly unpleasant detail of the incident is that the first F-35 combat flight (which the USA has been messing with for 12 years already!) Finally took place on September 27 - in Afghanistan, where the supernova and super-expensive fighter seemed to have "worked out" for the local the Taliban. And literally the very next day - a "bummer" in Grace Hill. F-35, and so has repeatedly been subjected to completely furious criticism, which boils down, basically, to the statement: "the sheepskin is not worth the mint." The car, whose cost is estimated at one hundred million dollars and recognized as the highest price of an airplane in the history of combat aviation, is directly accused of low combat efficiency and reliability. And, it seems, the words of skeptics are confirmed.
What is happening, among other things, hits hard according to the plans that generated this “miracle” equipment»Lockheed Martin Corporation. Its representatives have already announced plans to sell at least 3 thousand F-35s of various modifications around the feast in the coming decades (there are three of them today). 141 fighters out of this quantity managed to be “propelled” by the native military department, however, significantly “moving” in price. The contract was signed exactly before the accident. Somehow it didn’t work well ... Turkey, by the way, was trying to blackmail Washington by deliveries of the same aircraft at one time: “Choose either S-400 or F-35!” One can only try to imagine the malevolent giggle of Erdogan, who opted for Russian missile systems.
However, with, it seems, the old and "tested" American military aircraft, things are also not in the best way. The F-11 Fighting Falcon fighter-bomber that exploded on October 16 in Belgium at the Florence air force base is proof of this. The car, which was running on an open platform, on which routine maintenance was carried out, was blown to pieces, another fighter was damaged, and the technicians serving the aircraft were shocked by the explosion. The causes of the incident have not yet been established. The phlegmatic Belgians have not yet thought of blaming “Russian spies and saboteurs from the GRU” for everything, but American fighters, delivered to the country about 20-30 years ago, calling them obsolete worthless pieces of iron, are already making fire in the country.
Today, the United States, as American military experts admit, pays for the systematic cutting of its own military budget and neglect of the development of its own army. But, first of all, for his own incredible conceit and contemptuous arrogant attitude towards the “potential adversary”. Considering themselves to be the only real military force on Earth for decades, the Americans managed not to “notice” the rapid development of the armies of Russia and China. Their Armed Forces, for years did not participate in any military conflict with any enemy of comparable strength, and America gained its most convincing victories in Hollywood blockbusters and computer "shooters".
And today, the Pentagon continues to insist on preparations for "potential wars", not wanting to abandon its assigned to it is unclear by what right the role of the "world gendarme". The reality is that America has already lost the competition with our country in the military sphere.
Information