Why would militaries invest in a billion dollar aircraft piloted by a highly trained aircraft pilot with years of training that cost millions of dollars that is probably paid millions over many years … when the pilot and his aircraft can be shot down by a $100,000 missile.
- Force projection.
- It ain’t that easy to shoot down stealth aircraft.
- Missiles that can successfully shoot down stealth aircraft cost several million dollars each.
- Ground launch systems that can target and engage stealth aircraft, like the US Patriot System, are so horrifically expensive that no nation can afford enough of them to cover more than a fraction of its airspace. That means you need aircraft capable of engaging incoming enemy targets.
Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 4 weeks ago
Are you not aware of stealth aircraft?
chakan2@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
How do you deploy manned fighters against an aircraft you can’t detect?
Buelldozer@lemmy.today 4 weeks ago
Detect and target aren’t the same thing. There’s various Air Defense platforms that can detect stealth air craft at 20-30ish kilometers but they lack the resolution necessary to target them.
Annnd were back to the Air Defense platforms being hideously expensive. Literally no one can afford enough of them to cover more than a tiny fraction of their air space.
Forget “thousands” of missiles any country larger than a Lichtenstein would to need to buy millions of them along with enough Ground Detection and Launch Stations to cover their entire border. Utterly and totally unaffordable.
Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 4 weeks ago
Hurrah Liechtenstein, safest country on planet!
chakan2@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
You understand you need all that equipment to get a manned fighter close enough to engage. At that point firing a barrage of smart missiles is still cheaper.