Sad day for the RAF

[Penguin]

How on earth are you so certain of these claims?

-Penguin

[CAP1]

i know people in lockheed martin, boeing, and L3 communications that get to deal with that crap on a daily basis.

[Penguin]

Alright, that makes a bit more sense.  Would you mind providing me a link to where I can find out more about this topic?  Cyberwarfare, it seems almost surreal.

-Penguin

[F22RaptorDude]

There was a post on CBSnews on you tube about cyber attacks starting to concentrate on small businesses and homes now, the internet is going to crap and its all being done by a bunch of low lifes behind computers. Or rather there's been quite a few posts about it. If I recall a majority of the attacks are coming from the middle east.

[Babalonian]

i was actually gonna fall back on that, and the f-16. both of these while old, are pretty hard to top. i think the f16 is still considered one of the best fighters in the world.

*cough* Super Hornet *cough*

Hell, I don't think the F-18G has been in active service for a whole year yet.

That being said, I think the Air Force should of gone with funding and updating/replacing thier F-16s too.

[Babalonian]

The sad thing is the F-16 and F18 Super are all that's out there, both old but still viable designs.

At least with those planes after you drop your bombs you can dogfight. After you drop the bombs from an F-35 it's just a dog with no fight.

I am afraid that so much has been invested in the F-35 that it will be forced down the services throats.

The F-18E/F is old?      

[F22RaptorDude]

The F-18E/F is old?      

Not that I know about certain models but I think he's talking about how many more new jets have been made vs how long the F-18E/F has been in service, or something like that. How long has it been in service though?

[CAP1]

Not that I know about certain models but I think he's talking about how many more new jets have been made vs how long the F-18E/F has been in service, or something like that. How long has it been in service though?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Hornet

[F22RaptorDude]

1970's good grief lol well if it ain't broke don't fix it right?

[CAP1]

1970's good grief lol well if it ain't broke don't fix it right?

from the 70's and still pretty much the best in the world. especially combined with the fact that we have the best trained pilots, and maintenance crews in the world.

[F22RaptorDude]

from the 70's and still pretty much the best in the world. especially combined with the fact that we have the best trained pilots, and maintenance crews in the world.

Makes me proud to be an american knowing this 

[Rino]

it's not the "fly by wire" that's worrysome. it's the being networked together that is. if information travels in and out of a computer, it can be hacked. if that computer can be hacked, it can control whatever it is that is desired by the hacker.

 the f/a18's and f16's aren't networked.

     Just because information is being shared does not mean the control systems are linked.

[Babalonian]

Here ya goes folks, it's linked from the article CAP posted a link to.  Do not think we are doing anyhting short of currently equiping and training our Navy with the best available.  And while I wait to see how the F-35 will fit into its role when it reaches active duty, I'm also more eagerly awaiting an entirely new phase/generation soon dawning upon naval aviation: unmanned naval carrier-launched and recovered drones and aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F/A-18E/F_Super_Hornet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA-18G_Growler

I believe the navy has just about all but phased out the first and second generation hornets for the newer third generation, the marines I'm not quite sure on what their rotation schedule looks like but it's more complicated and I think they're holding onto more second-gen hornets until they get phased out by the F-35 because they're also phasing out the harrier currently.

And I'm really proud they got the EA-18G into service as they really needed a modern update to the navy's airborne electronic warfare and countermeasures arsenal, and it is the most state of the art electronic warfare piece of equiment flying, and we got it!

Thanks for actually bringing this up guys, there's been some developments I didn't know about that are reported in the wiki articles!  They're ordering MORE super hornets for the Navy, a LOT more growlers (four whole additional squadrons!) and the growler has seen it's first combat action!:

The first Growler operational deployment was announced on 17 February 2011.[37]

The Navy's submission for the 2011 defense budget put forth by the Obama Administration calls for the addition of four EA-18G Growler squadrons to be added to the fleet.[38] On 14 May 2010, Boeing and the US Department of Defense reached an agreement for a multi-year contract for an additional 66 F/A-18E/Fs and 58 EA-18Gs over the next four years. This will raise the total to 114 EA-18Gs on order.[39]

The EA-18G was first used in combat during Operation Odyssey Dawn by supporting efforts to enforce a UN no-fly-zone over Libya.[40] The five EA-18Gs of VAQ-132 were redeployed from Iraq to Italy to support Libya operations.[

[Babalonian]

And just because I like littering the world with good p0rn:

[Babalonian]

You guys across the pond, just think how sexy those things would look in RAF colors, cruising down the channel, and being piloted by a bunch of limeys!?