Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military From: jac@paul.rutgers.edu (Jonathan A. Chandross) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: How Many B-2's Are Enough ??? Message-ID: <8480@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 21 Jul 89 04:09:42 GMT References: <8347@cbnews.ATT.COM> <8413@cbnews.ATT.COM> <8447@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 30 Approved: military@att.att.com From: jac@paul.rutgers.edu (Jonathan A. Chandross) fiddler@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) > A B-2 strike like the one done by F-111s in Libya might have been a lot > more effective: the defenders might have had *no* warning, rather than > the few minutes that they had back then. Reduced AA activity would have > made for simpler entry and exit and much easier targeting problems. (Incidentally, if you insert carriage returns at the end of each line it makes it easier to edit.) You forget that one of the F-111's was shot down by a SAM. This isn't so bad - a few millions down the toilet and a couple of pointlessly dead pilots. But just imagine the glee of the Libyans had they shot down a B-2. Could the Air Force afford to take a chance on this? Besides the Libyan strike could have been adequately carried out by sea launched missiles. There was no need to risk Americans. [mod.note: Once more, the conversation dances dangerously close to the Forbidden Zone of politics and policy. Let's keep it civil and factual. - Bill ] Jonathan A. Chandross Internet: jac@paul.rutgers.edu UUCP: rutgers!paul.rutgers.edu!jac