USN Showdown between Super Hornet and F-35

[Brett327]

And yes we sell them arms - but generally not the good stuff.

Pretty sure the P-8 and Super Hornet qualifies as "the good stuff."

When push comes to shove, as an outside observer and non-expert, I frankly don’t see India jumping into the fray to defend Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, or Guam/Hawaii from any major threat.

We're not expecting them to be a Britain or Australia. We want them to be a strong regional power. As DanMa points out above, there is tremendous value in interoperability when they buy our platforms.

I’m guessing their airfields, naval bases, and depots are just crawling with Russian-affiliated contract maintainers and slick haired sales guys named Ivan.

I'm quite certain the USG FMS experts have a process in place to evaluate these risks so they don't have to rely on your guesses. Perhaps this had not occurred to you.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Don't forget that if US provides new or at least reliable technologies to India this is the surest way to introduce them to Russia. I don't think that it worth that money. Indian corruption is one of a cornerstones of that nation.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

As for STOBAR, aside of low optempo and less than optimal payload of the embarked aircraft, it is almost impossible to put there good tanker and AEW platform. But there is another shortcoming, linked to a ski ramp as such: each takeoff increases specifical fatigue of an airframe around landing gears at the same (if not worse) rate that landing in itself, since the radius of that fucking ramp cannot be adjusted to a specific airframe and the load is increasing by unnatural way for an airplane: first nose gear then main ones, oppositely to a landing process. It is far from obvious but so different forces applied to an aircraft on takeoff and landing, are wearing airframe out extremely fast, which being combining with inevitably afterburn'd engines for takeoff even in sleek configuration, ending up in very short live of an aircraft.

 

[Hair Warrior]

Don't forget that if US provides new or at least reliable technologies to India this is the surest way to introduce them to Russia. I don't think that it worth that money. Indian corruption is one of a cornerstones of that nation.

^ he ain’t wrong

 

[Hair Warrior]

I'm quite certain the USG FMS experts have a process in place to evaluate these risks so they don't have to rely on your guesses. Perhaps this had not occurred to you.

It has, in fact, occurred to me. I’ve seen inner workings a couple times.

 

[Jim123]

You're not going to launch a 62K Growler with a deck run.

Are we overlooking the obvious alternative solution to ski jump vs catapult launch:

... wait for it,

treadmill??

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

treadmill??

Also David's slingshot?

 

[LFDtoUSMC]

Are we overlooking the obvious alternative solution to ski jump vs catapult launch:

... wait for it,

treadmill??

Make the boat bigger and put a giant circle runway on it..... It'll work better with the deck cycles, I swear.

 

[Jim123]

Make the boat bigger and put a giant circle runway on it..... It'll work better with the deck cycles, I swear.

The circular runway has to be reversible or the concept will only work for flight ops when the ship is north of the equator.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Pretty sure the P-8 and Super Hornet qualifies as "the good stuff."

SWA and Alaska pilots agree

 

[LFDtoUSMC]

Hey everybody, look at the big brain on Jim. He just solved all of our problems.

The circle, is the treadmill. Boom. Get that man an MSM.

 

[Farva01]

My guess is twofold. One is that to increase the effectiveness of the Quad, would it be possible to operate F/A-18's (both the regular Super Hornet and the electronic warfare version) from the UK's Queen Elizabeth class, Japan's Izumo class and India's aircraft carriers?

Second, if the US takes significant combat damage in a naval war and multiple big decks are out of action, how do you maximize the potential of the new big, but straight deck, LHA's (America, Tripoli and Bougainville). Do you modify them to handle conventional aircraft and what does that mean? ski-ramp? catapult? angled deck? (Historically, several of the Essex class and all of the Midway class carriers - which are roughly the same size as the America class - were converted to have catapults and angled decks.) My perception of the US shipbuilding industry is that most of it has been outsourced and we do not have the capability to surge and build multiple Ford class carriers quickly in the event of battle losses thus having to optimize what you do have in the inventory.

I would be interested in hearing what the fast movers here have to say.

View attachment 32882
Straight deck Essex class carrier Lake Champlain.

View attachment 32883
Essex class carrier Ticonderoga after conversion to an angled deck

Your first point is to sell more Rhinos to I get countries. Good for Boeing’s bottom line and has a downstream effect for the Navy (I.e. extra funding/ testing for Rhino capes). But the Navy shouldn’t give a shit about ski ramps for its own purposes, hence my first reply.
For your second point, putting a small footprint of Rhinos on a small deck ship is not an effective use of assets in my opinion. I am all about looking into smaller classes of CATOBAR type CVN to up our distribution, but not going to happen. Instead we will probably pump the F-35B numbers up on the America class to fill that role.

 

[Flash]

Don't forget that if US provides new or at least reliable technologies to India this is the surest way to introduce them to Russia. I don't think that it worth that money. Indian corruption is one of a cornerstones of that nation.

While Indian corruption is endemic our military deals with them, as with everyone else, have processes and procedures in place to mitigate issues with that sort of thing. If India wants to continue to be able to buy good stuff from us they will follow the rules.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

If India wants to continue to be able to buy good stuff from us they will follow the rules

You are right Flash as usually but remember that post-Meiji Japan obediently followed the British rules until obtained needed stuff and then took Singapore. Then-British soil. Asian style of behaviour in a nutshell...

 

[Griz882]

The Indian Army had a robust presence at AUSA this year and were obviously interested in many of the INDOPAC sessions (and on the display floor). Although I can’t speak to their government policy, their military is looking for stable “friends” if not actual allies. I think we will see more and more events like Exercise Yudh Abhyas with each getting larger and more important each year.