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ON TARGET: Does Canada Really Need The CF-35 Joint Strike Fighter? β espritdecorps
(www.espritdecorps.ca)
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Human self-importance.
We think we're magic, despite the fact we aren't built for high g dogfights at all.
Kind of the same reason us being space colonizers is a pipe dream at this stage in our civilization. We can get a dozen highly trained peak human specimens to grow potatoes on Mars as a symbol, and I'm all for that, but not regular people. One mistake everybody dead, one cabin fever victim in the right position everybody dead. We literally can't even care for the almost infinitely forgiving habitat we evolved out of that's perfectly suited to our biology, and all that would require is stop actively, recklessly fucking it up.
Modern air combat isn't about dogfights anymore. A plane like the F-35 is an asset in the air because of its sensor suite way more than because of its ability to deploy ordnance. It'll let us patrol our massive airspace much more effectively than the 5-6 operational CF-18s we currently have.
Yes, drones will be important, but for long-range combat they'll get used in conjunction with manned aircraft in the air. The F-35 is a formidable platform for that. Tomorrow's air combat will probably consist of squadrons of autonomous drones under the command of a manned aircraft flying with them in formation.