Aircraft In 2000

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

That was an interesting piece that I think particularly highlights the creativity and abilities of the people involved (I'm thinking particularly of the situation with the horizontal tail units). Thanks for posting the link.
The A-7F was an aircraft that should have been in the inventory (in my not really relevant opinion haha!)
That the F-16 was constantly suggested for certain roles over better candidates (e.g. the proposal to replace the A-10 with a variant of the F-16...), the rejection of the A-7F appears to be another example that shows just how deeply politics and fashion are ingrained in military equipment purchasing.

You're right- there's a lot of politics and money in equipment adoption. I reckon that in WW3, with aircraft attrition rates high and manufacturing of the most up-to-date models lagging behind, that any viable stopgap measures would be taken. At that point, the gov't would be throwing money at any company with the capability of putting more wings in the air. The A-7 airframes already exist so it seems like a very sensible shortcut.