in about 7 years top U.S. jet fighters will be equipped with solid-state lasers capable of shooting down other planes, hitting ground targets, and intercepting inbound enemy missiles.

Not only that, but our planes will be faster, and much stealthier. Our F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter pilots will be able to lock onto and destroy enemy jets long before they can even see our planes, let alone lock onto them.

One single F-22 equipped with a 100kw laser could easily take out an entire squadron of French Rafales or "Eurofighters"... In fact, a handful of these planes could probably decimate the entire Air Forces of all of Europe combined, IMO.


F-22...



Joint Strike Fighter...



Protype U.S. laser...





Possible Victims...


Russian SU-27 Flanker...



French Rafael...


Eurofighter...

Hmmm....u might be right but the end of the Cold War has altered most of the situation...The JSF project might be cancelled due to its prohibitive cost and political reasons(the Bush Administration) Furthurmore...the laser project is only in its infancy stages and more money is now spent on the war on terrorism and of cause the war to topple Saddam Hussein... It might also be cancelled...or delayed... New threats are also coming up from China...Their aerial supremacy has dramatically altered through the millenium and has recently aquired the SU-35 Flanker...or might even procure the SU-37... though they might be technologically inferior...(very much like the Soviets during the Cold War)...they have the number of airplanes to overwhelm the USAF...Of course i hope both sides will not have an all out war... it will be disastrous and might start Cold War 2... this time being the democratic states versus terrorism and the probable rise of communism(which is unlikely) Well...that's all i have to say...

U.S. aircraft being equipped with lasers within the next 7 years? I'd sure like to hear where you heard that. The only current airborn lasers I know of require a whole 747 and 20 people to operate.

---

Integrity First
Service Before Self
Excellence in All We Do

C/CMSgt James Carfagno

I too have heard the rumor. No doubt there will eventually be something like that, but perhaps not in 7 years. Nice to see an AF person on here w/ the core values

why will they rule the skies? how would you know if your planes will rule the skies in iraq and some of your poodles like britain but other countries have decent planes too.

Never USA shall never rule the skies.
Althrough F22 raptor is rated the best plane in the world.
But the problem is that USA does not have enough fuel to run their planes they can only train 2 hours a year.
And the problem is that USA has no money to mantian their F22raptor so in like 6 years time every single F22 raptor USA has will be all broken and disabled.
I am so sorry USA will never rule the skies but i know there is one nation that will. And that nation is North Korea!!!!!!!!!!

After watching a recent special on fighter aircraft on Wings...They compared the Mig's and Sukhoi's to the US Tomcat's, Hornets and Falcons. Even though the Russians believe in 'outflying' their enemy by using maneuvers...The US planes can lock on and shoot down enemy aircraft, sight unseen. The aging Tomcat, can lock on to 14 targets at one time...Considering most of US aircraft is using 70's technology, with current upgrades... The US has the most formidable Air Force in the world. It doesn't matter how many planes the US has...It takes only 1 to destroy 14 others.

Some may think that this is inevitable. However, the US Air Force and indeed many other parts of its military is becoming a victim of the death spiral: where the price they pay for their more advanced fighters becomes higher and higher. If this price growth carries on at its current rate, by the year 2050, the US air force will only have 1 plane. The recent JSF contract competition ended in a Lockheed victory. However, the Lockheed entry was much mor expensive that the Boeing entry. The USAF chose it even though they knew where it was headed. I think that it is utterly absurd that US planes shall own the skies because no plane, no matter how advanced, can rule the skies on its own for the mere fact that no plane can be everywhere at once.

USA pilots and there aircraft will not own the skys the Australian pilots and the aircraft will rule the sky, the aussies are the best pilots in the world and i will be one in the next few years. you probley think no they are not the ameicans are the best, but who keeps kicking the americans asses in mock dog fights ................THE AUSSIES!!!!!! the only reason you guys have got aircraft is because USA has the money to do what they want and you have the technology we dont have a heep of different aircraft like you USA and not alot of people make the requirements for the RAAF (Royal Australia Air Force) just incase some of you people dont know what the abreviaton is, we have more smaller groups of people so we can get the best of the traning. even the chopper pilots are i mean were good untill the minister of defence changed the choppers from the RAAF to the army now the pilots are bad all because of the army (hint dont like the army), in vietnam war (which the americans lost) the huey pilots was the best becaus of the RAAF even you americans sayed so your self. that the huey pilots were the best HACK IT!!! and the RAAF pilots are the best. but arnt you lucky the we have an alliance or we would kick your &*#

USA pilots and there aircraft will not own the skys the Australian pilots and the aircraft will rule the sky, the aussies are the best pilots in the world and i will be one in the next few years. you probley think no they are not the ameicans are the best, but who keeps kicking the americans @$%&# in mock dog fights ................THE AUSSIES!!!!!! the only reason you guys have got aircraft is because USA has the money to do what they want and you have the technology we dont have a heep of different aircraft like you USA and not alot of people make the requirements for the RAAF (Royal Australia Air Force) just incase some of you people dont know what the abreviaton is, we have more smaller groups of people so we can get the best of the traning. even the chopper pilots are i mean were good untill the minister of defence changed the choppers from the RAAF to the army now the pilots are bad all because of the army (hint dont like the army), in vietnam war (which the americans lost) the huey pilots was the best becaus of the RAAF even you americans sayed so your self. that the huey pilots were the best HACK IT!!! and the RAAF pilots are the best. but arnt you lucky the we have an alliance or we would kick your &*#