Tomahawks are a priority weapon - we need reindustrial regrowth that considers basic military weapon production with a more widely distributed production base, a la Ukraine. At one level, poor prioritization of basic must-have weapons is a political Biden/trump failure. At a deeper level it is a military procurement failure. The brass should make sure that our industrial base is adequate and able to quickly grow. Our generals have forgotten that it was not only GI Joe but Rosie the Riveter combined who won WW2. So, brass get your heads on straight and make sure the basics are plentiful.
David, you wrote in Forbes (btw, your website link at Forbes is busted) about Ukraine using propeller planes to hunt drones. Shooting down a Shahed drone is an easier version of shooting down a WWII bomber—same speed, can’t shoot back, no armor, loaded with explosives. Why aren’t the allies dusting off WWII fighter designs? As drones are small, the US P-38 Lightning would be ideal.
With a cluster of centrally located machine guns, it eliminates the issue of wing mounted machine guns firing around the propeller and crossing at a fixed distance in front. A cluster of 5 guns firing straight ahead is ideal for shooting down smaller drones at a safe distance when they explode. With a top speed of 414 mph and a cruise speed of 275 mph, it could quickly intercept drones, shoot them down far more efficiently, land and takeoff from short, packed dirt airfields and even carry bombs for fighter bomber missions for about the cost of an engine on a F-16.
Look up OA-1K.
Operation Epstein Forgetaboutit Fury will still not take the stink from the rapes of girls and women.
Tomahawks are a priority weapon - we need reindustrial regrowth that considers basic military weapon production with a more widely distributed production base, a la Ukraine. At one level, poor prioritization of basic must-have weapons is a political Biden/trump failure. At a deeper level it is a military procurement failure. The brass should make sure that our industrial base is adequate and able to quickly grow. Our generals have forgotten that it was not only GI Joe but Rosie the Riveter combined who won WW2. So, brass get your heads on straight and make sure the basics are plentiful.
Do these weapons depend on critical minerals?
David, you wrote in Forbes (btw, your website link at Forbes is busted) about Ukraine using propeller planes to hunt drones. Shooting down a Shahed drone is an easier version of shooting down a WWII bomber—same speed, can’t shoot back, no armor, loaded with explosives. Why aren’t the allies dusting off WWII fighter designs? As drones are small, the US P-38 Lightning would be ideal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning
With a cluster of centrally located machine guns, it eliminates the issue of wing mounted machine guns firing around the propeller and crossing at a fixed distance in front. A cluster of 5 guns firing straight ahead is ideal for shooting down smaller drones at a safe distance when they explode. With a top speed of 414 mph and a cruise speed of 275 mph, it could quickly intercept drones, shoot them down far more efficiently, land and takeoff from short, packed dirt airfields and even carry bombs for fighter bomber missions for about the cost of an engine on a F-16.
In the meantime, buying these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer_EMB_314_Super_Tucano
And using the same electronics and on a new P-38 would expedite changing the drone economics, as bullets are way cheaper than drones.