Colombia May Acquire Gripen Fighters Produced in Brazil
March 16, 2020New Planes for Light Attack
March 18, 2020Strategic Bombing Force is “Weak”
With the end of the Cold War, the West is relaxed and reduced the force multipliers until the 2010s, and the military forces of NATO and its allies, especially the USA, have weakened more than ever.
In a news article published in the USA, Retired General John Loh from the US Air Force (USAF) made some analysis on the country's air force. Loh stated that the USAF experienced the weakest period in its history, which is considered one of the indispensable elements of modern military operations. The large-scale budget cuts caused the retirement of aging heavy bomber aircraft, which formed the backbone of the Western strategic power in the Cold War Period. According to General Loh's analysis, this created weakness both in quality and quantity. In the Gulf War, which was the first widespread war following the end of the Cold War, the retired general said that there were 400 bombers in the US inventory, but this number has already reduced to only 140, and in the US Air Force FY 2021 budget demand, the situation would become even more deplorable. In this context, the force decided to retire most of the B-1B Lancers in its inventory and cancel the mid-life upgrades of the B-2 Spirits in order to increase the R&D budget of the new generation B-21 Raider strategic bombers.
Considering that the nuclear payload certifications of the B-21 Raider platforms can be completed and reach full operational capability in the 2030s, it is estimated that the budget cuts in question may lead to a significant weakness.