Are VSTOL fighter-bombers a solution looking for a problem?

[red admiral]

V/STOL gives you the capability to fly to where the fuel, weapons and spares can safely get too when your bases are constantly at risk from the AI kill chain, double tap bombardment.

Why is the massive logistics chain of trucks carrying the fuel, weapons and spares immune from the AI kill chain? Especially when this is completely unhardened and unprotected unlike fixed bases? And has to be closer to the threat

 

[SteveO]

I should have stuck to my first post in 2019

Why is the massive logistics chain of trucks carrying the fuel, weapons and spares immune from the AI kill chain? Especially when this is completely unhardened and unprotected unlike fixed bases? And has to be closer to the threat

It’s not. But it will take a bit more effort to find and target than the fixed base. I was also thinking of one or two trucks coming out of hiding to rendezvous with a single V/STOL fighter rather than a massive easy to notice logistics chain.

Definitely less efficient than operating from a fixed base but hopefully you will outlast your adversary if you are attacking their fixed bases too.

I’m not going to cover all the arguments in one post but a well designed and thought out V/STOL fighter definitely has worth. Saying that, maybe the time of crewed combat aircraft is coming to end and I’m not particularly worried about how a UCAV/drone takes off and lands.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Drones are fixed wing(or vtol) aircraft all the same.

There's a significant difference between a 12,000lb MTOW drone that has a landing speed under 60kts and a 52,000lb MTOW Legacy Hornet with a 135kt landing speed.