Developed in the late-1960s, the F-15 was faster and more maneuverable than it otherwise would have been because the United States thought the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, its direct competition, was a far more advanced plane than it actually was. It’s been in service for almost a half-century now and is still being produced by Boeing, which absorbed McDonnell Douglas in the 1990s. It’ll be in service with the U.S. Air Force until at least the 2030s.
Remarkable though the plane may be, there are limits to what the F-15 can do. As Airforce Technology noted, the F-15 is at present “almost exclusively used for close-air support” by the Air Force. It has a ground-strike capability if need be, although that need is unusual. It’s not used in reconnaissance roles.
And, unless you’re a brutal Mugabe-esque dictator who crushes any kind of dissent with remorseless carnage, it has no role in crowd control.
-Rurik
I don't think those dilettantes know what close air support even means.
ReplyDeleteA-10s are way more effective in crowd control than F-15s and cheaper to deploy.
ReplyDeleteA few well placed .30 cal shots may have convinced Mr. Unconstitutional Flyboy to take his ass elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteQuestionable election tactics --- check
ReplyDeleteLarge military deployments in capital city to protect regime --- check
Control of all broadcast and communications to silence opposition --- check
Perversion of legal system to jail opponents --- check
Orders to military to fire on own citizens --- coming?
Why not? They've had the alphabet agencies shooting citizens for years. And they've already used drones on citizens overseas (without due process) so may as well check that box too.
DeleteFire on? No. They'll just provide security for the Neuvo-Einsatzgruppen.
DeleteFrom the Feral Irishman: https://flipboard.com/article/california-national-guard-put-fighter-jet-on-alert-in-march-2020-for-possible-d/f-9d881c3f92%2Ffoxnews.com
DeleteYou can say that again.
ReplyDeleteThose F-15s are really fast, I bet you have to really shoot where you think they'll be. I wonder what a 30-06 round traveling at 1200 odd fpm would do to an f-15 traveling at 1000 mph or so?
ReplyDeleteA friend grew up near a military base in the 60s. When his dad got back from Nam, the test pilots would buzz the valley where the house was. After the base commander told him that his pilots wouldn't do that, he took a few shots at the next set of buzz flights. Called back the base commander and said "look for the holes in the tails". The buzzing stopped.
ReplyDelete