Originally Posted by JoeBob
Originally Posted by antelope_sniper
Originally Posted by JoeBob
A single F-22 might be worth ten F-15s but 2,500 F-15s beat 180 F-22s all day.


You assert that, but do they really?

2500 F-15's require 2500 pilots,

Per flight hour maintance cost on an F-22 are about 68k per hour vs the F-15's 42k per hour. If you figure an average 200 flight hours per pilot per year, your plan cost the tax payers an extra 33 billion per year just in flight hours, not counting initial pilot training, pay, benefits, and facilities cost for the extra 2,320 airframes.

So when you consider the total cost of ownership for the capabilities imparted, your "cheap" F-15's are not looking so cheap any more.


I don't disagree with all that, but tell Congress. Tell the taxpayer. I figure we don't need that many aircraft anyway. Like I said in another post, there are only two or three potential adversaries in the whole world who couldn't be soundly defeated today with the air force we took to Vietnam.


But what happens when those two or three adversaries join forces? And then add a dozen more smaller adversaries?

It's not like coalitions of countries are unheard of in recent history.

Last edited by pira114; 11/22/14.