coupla Full Thrust questions inspire some

> Cool. It would really be neat to see one fly combat-capable without a

> Once launched they would be totally independent units. And could well

The Brits and Americans claimed that in the 60-s with all the research
into Drones and aerodynes, too. (As well as all missile interceptors too) I
think
the military LIKES being hands-on with the equipment. There are
things to be said for automation as far as acquisition and the like,
but the fire/no fire will probably be tied to humans for many mundane
and political reasons...

> Think of a hybrid between a Harrier, an F-16 and F117. Stealth,

How 'bout some curb feelers and maybe a deodorizing crown for my
dash?  ;-)

Date sent:  30-OCT-1996 19:16:46

> Cool. It would really be neat to see one fly combat-capable without

> Uh I dunno. Maybe it's a legacy of Terminator and Bolo (and SJ's

Seen Janes Defence Weekly recently? The RAF say that the Tornado could well be
their very last Interdictor. Future proposals for it's replacement include a
stand off weapon delivery system using unmanned drones launched
from a Strategic Bomber/ Cargo Plane. The Drone could carry Conventional
Bombs, Nuclear Ordinance, CLUSTER MUNITIONS etc.

Once launched they would be totally independent units. And could well be
flying over your house within the next 10 years.

Date sent:  30-OCT-1996 20:34:47

> The Brits and Americans claimed that in the 60-s with all the research

> Mike Wikan

Yep. That's why we ended up with Phantoms rather than a home grown fighter in
the 70s (The BA replacement for the Lightening, which was to be a supersonic
VTOL interceptor, was canceled because the government claimed that SAM
technology had made fighters obsolete).

Although many interceptors are halfway there. Basicly a fast delivery system
for a missile. All this crap is overrated. Just witness the Luftwafa's
scathing reports on their Migs. As one pilot put it, "If you get in a
Dogfight, your tactics have failed anyway.". Most German pilots prefer their
Phantoms.

And the RN's new fighter (JSA) still has a pilot. A coincidence that the Ark
Royal will be coming out of refit in the same year that the JSA and
V-22 start production? I don't think so.

For those of you that don't know (and it hasn't been widely publicized),
the JSA is a mainly American project to produce a Stealthed STOVL multi-
role fighter that should cost less than an F-16.

Think of a hybrid between a Harrier, an F-16 and F117. Stealth, Vectored
Thrust AND Multirole. What more do you want? (How about some fluffy dice on
the mirror?).

> And the RN's new fighter (JSA) still has a pilot. A coincidence that

There are currently three manufacturers in the running for the Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF). They are Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and McDonnell Douglas.
Two of the competitors will be given the go-ahead to build a prototype
for a fly-off to determine the winner of the JSF contract.  We should be
hearing about the two winning bidders soon.

Only the RN and the US Marine version will have the SVTOL capability. The US
Navy and US Air Force versions will have specific modifications suitable for
each services.

In message <009AAA20.97B4DDCF.260@basil.acs.bolton.ac.uk> Adam Delafield
writes:
> Seen Janes Defence Weekly recently? The RAF say that the Tornado could

Haven't we been here before? The last time the RAF decided this we ended up
having to buy Phantoms from the U.S. (the ones that got slower when we
shoehorned in a bigger jet engine from Royce) because we stopped developing
manned aircraft.

(As an aside the R.N. did get a manned aircraft developed during this period:
known as A.R.N.A. "A Royal Navy Aircraft". It was made by Blackburn. The
Blackburn A.R.N.A. (try saying it... "Black Banana"). It was eventually named
the Buccaneer.)

> Mike Wikan wrote:

Well at least it won't cop an attitude and drop munitions on your house for
the hell of it. Besides, I was thinking in terms of FT for space combat where
the likelyhood of hitting your house would a tad small. BTW Bolo is an
excellent series. I think I read all of them!

> Mike Wikan wrote:

Nah, the in-thing is a massive thumping stereo that would freeze your
enemy in awe with low pounding bass from some ear grinding rap tune.

On [Wed, 30 Oct 1996 20:50:18 +0100] Adam Delafield
> <A.Delafield@bolton.ac.uk> wrote:
As it's a Navy fighter (and the US MArines presumably - a replacement
for the Sea Harrier and AV-8?) allweather capability would be nice. Oh,
and to get into production on time and under budget, but that's just
stupid :-).

                        TTFN
                                Jon