FCAS on life support and may be terminal

[Maxmars]

Maybe I'm not quite right, but 

By 'fraction'ing the overall mission, someone opened many new "contract" developments.
Good for MIC business - so there's no real pressure from them (?)

Long-standing, thus immaterial factors, poison the efforts to accomplish the goal.

And so... every heart is unburdened with guilt,
as the "administrators" continue to accomplish nothing.

The bureaucrats continue to block specificity.

And the "committee" continues their traditional tap-dance of "duh..."

The process itself needed a leader, not a committee.

[Blackfingers]

Financial Times is reporting that Germany and France are in talks to drop the manned fighter, and instead build a command and control system. 

https://www.ft.com/content/e0cc4893-d1c3...5cedd4b46d

Facepalm goes heavy in this.

[rickymouse]

2040?  By then, with the advancement happening in China, they will be able to sell technology to shoot those things down.  I think Europe and the USA should spend more on replacing the weapons stocks that we have been giving to Ukraine and using in the middle east to guarantee we stay stronger than our adversaries.  Then spend some extra money on designing new expensive technology. 

In my mind, I feel that this Ukraine war might actually be designed to draw down the wests military might...are we actually positive that lowering our inventory of weapons is a good idea, Russia can pump out weapons twice as fast as the USA can.

[Maxmars]

....

In my mind, I feel that this Ukraine war might actually be designed to draw down the wests military might...are we actually positive that lowering our inventory of weapons is a good idea, Russia can pump out weapons twice as fast as the USA can.

They could never replace them fast enough to cope with 'posing' as a threat to the US.

They would have to be willing to shut down any semblance of life and devote themselves to 
a world-ending struggle... even in victory they would be broken and spent...
the life they sought to 'protect' over... and by their own hands.

Same for us.

Isn't it wonderful?

That this stupid military solution to disagreement may as well be two sides offer to kill a large enough number of people to "shock" themselves into stopping.... every damn time.

Strong defense makes these forays into power projection ... wasteful and pointless.

It's a shame that these politicians and uber-wealthy/powerful elite don't think so...
But then... of course not... the show must go on.

Underlying tactics and strategies are breaking the classic war dynamic... established when
command and control couldn't be relegated to machines.

In order to "conquer" the US, it must be occupied. 
NEVER going to happen...
certainly never permanently.

Unless civilization changes orientation... that's a fact.

[rickymouse]

They could never replace them fast enough to cope with 'posing' as a threat to the US.

They would have to be willing to shut down any semblance of life and devote themselves to 
a world-ending struggle... even in victory they would be broken and spent...
the life they sought to 'protect' over... and by their own hands.

Same for us.

Isn't it wonderful?

That this stupid military solution to disagreement may as well be two sides offer to kill a large enough number of people to "shock" themselves into stopping.... every damn time.

Strong defense makes these forays into power projection ... wasteful and pointless.

It's a shame that these politicians and uber-wealthy/powerful elite don't think so...
But then... of course not... the show must go on.

Underlying tactics and strategies are breaking the classic war dynamic... established when
command and control couldn't be relegated to machines.

In order to "conquer" the US, it must be occupied. 
NEVER going to happen...
certainly never permanently.

Unless civilization changes orientation... that's a fact.

A real lot of people in the U.P of Michigan have guns, unless they bombed the hell out of us, they would have a hard time taking over this neck of the woods.  Trouble is that the new generation wouldn't want to fight for our country, so that leaves us senior citizens and anyone older than fifty  to fight the war while the young are glued to video games and their cell phones.  We would have to bomb our own cell towers and internet  to get anyone younger than thirty out and fight if we had a war here.  We would have to say the enemy did it too, or they would consider us the enemy. 

[Avicula]

2040?  By then, with the advancement happening in China, they will be able to sell technology to shoot those things down.  I think Europe and the USA should spend more on replacing the weapons stocks that we have been giving to Ukraine and using in the middle east to guarantee we stay stronger than our adversaries.  Then spend some extra money on designing new expensive technology. 

In my mind, I feel that this Ukraine war might actually be designed to draw down the wests military might...are we actually positive that lowering our inventory of weapons is a good idea, Russia can pump out weapons twice as fast as the USA can.

The same Russia that has had to rely on Iran and NORTH KOREA (!!!) to provide men and war material to maintain their momentum (?) in Ukraine? I’m not seeing Russia as much of a threat to the US.

Now then… China would absolutely benefit from a materially compromised United States. If they are ever going to move on Taiwan, they’re going to have to do it within the next 3 years or so or they lose. BUT the fact that we are now learning that they have likely been over-reporting their population to the tune of several hundred million to HALF A BILLION people is telling. On top of that, we know that their economy is even more inflated than their population statistics and is crumbling faster than the Hongqi Bridge. 

I suspect that when Xi is gone, regardless of how he goes, whoever steps up to take his place will be a strong proponent of the CCP when the cameras are rolling, but an ever stronger supporter of international commerce and the perks that comes with playing ball with everyone else. Fact is that apart from a small minority of very old party members and a handful of young nationalists, support inside China for military incursion into Taiwan is just not there. Just like we saw when western imperialist culture began to find its way into the USSR, young Chinese people really like what western culture has to offer. Levi’s 501 button fly jeans won the Cold War just as much as SDI and Reagan did. I wouldn’t be too surprised if something as simple as open Internet access and Tik Tok are deciding factors in a much less aggressive China.

[Blackfingers]

Getting Europe to agree on anything is rarer than a Unicorn.
Plus waaay to many technical,material,software and logistic differences to overcome.