Post by Admin on Nov 6, 2019 7:30:07 GMT -5
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the plane will become a flying magazine for fifth-generation fighters.
The U.S. Air Force is carefully considering what plane is the best fit for its new Arsenal Plane concept. The Arsenal Plane, a large aircraft packed with semi-autonomous flying weapons, is designed to provide extra firepower for fighter jets that spot targets but don’t have the weapons to take them out. The Air Force has a variety of airframes to choose from, but choosing the right one is harder than it sounds.
A bomber like the B-1B Lancer or B-52H Stratofortress is a good choice because it already has a large bomb bay, a long range, and in the case of the B-1B is somewhat stealthy. Both bombers have external weapons pylons for carrying even more weapons, especially air-to-air missiles. A C-17 Globemaster III heavy transport also has a large carrying capacity. A civilian aircraft, perhaps something like the A380, would be relatively cheap to fly.
There’s no perfect solution, though. The B-1B is decades out of production and providing difficult to maintain. The B-52H is still needed as a vanilla bomber and there are only about seventy five planes left. C-17s would likely be needed in a major conflict as transports, and a civilian plane would need extensive, expensive modifications to become a military aircraft.
the plane will become a flying magazine for fifth-generation fighters.
The U.S. Air Force is carefully considering what plane is the best fit for its new Arsenal Plane concept. The Arsenal Plane, a large aircraft packed with semi-autonomous flying weapons, is designed to provide extra firepower for fighter jets that spot targets but don’t have the weapons to take them out. The Air Force has a variety of airframes to choose from, but choosing the right one is harder than it sounds.
A bomber like the B-1B Lancer or B-52H Stratofortress is a good choice because it already has a large bomb bay, a long range, and in the case of the B-1B is somewhat stealthy. Both bombers have external weapons pylons for carrying even more weapons, especially air-to-air missiles. A C-17 Globemaster III heavy transport also has a large carrying capacity. A civilian aircraft, perhaps something like the A380, would be relatively cheap to fly.
There’s no perfect solution, though. The B-1B is decades out of production and providing difficult to maintain. The B-52H is still needed as a vanilla bomber and there are only about seventy five planes left. C-17s would likely be needed in a major conflict as transports, and a civilian plane would need extensive, expensive modifications to become a military aircraft.