|
Saw an F-117 at an airshow in Hickory, NC when I was 10-12. I also distinctly recall being reminded of a bat.
I also wonder why the retirement of a very effective weapon system. Can the F-22 replicate the F-117's effectiveness? Probably, but since it's not (to the best of my knowledge) deployed outside the US, we don't yet know how it stacks up. We also know the Russians have developed techniques which render the F-117 visible, techniques which the F-22 may be better adapted to countering whether structurally or electronically.
There's also the rumour of an equally "black" project; a stealthy variable-geometry fighter-bomber possibly intended to replace the F-111 and compete with the SU-32 Fullback. If the "Switchblade" proposed and funded by Northrup Grumman performs as intended, it would certainly be a worthy and much more capable successor to the F-117.
I do note with some glee, however, that amidst all this high-tech wizardry, impressive as it is, the good old A-10 soldiers on.
|