America is an empire and for this reason

"As long as imperialism exists, it will, by definition, exert its domination over other countries. Today that domination is called neocolonialism"

__________________
Viva Fidel

"If there ever was in the history of humanity an enemy who was truly universal, an enemy whose acts and moves trouble the entire world, threaten the entire world, attack the entire world in any way or another, that real and really universal enemy is precisely Yankee imperialism"

"North Americans don't understand... that our country is not just Cuba; our country is also humanity"

Your breezy use of the slander "imperialist"--another of the hard left's buzzwords that I cited in my previous post--further reinforces my point.

Oh, but I did make an inadvertant omission from that short list of angry (and misleading) words: "neocolonialist." But you cleared that up for us nicely, by flinging about that slur--or the noun form of it, anyway.

Well the fact you do not even attempt to refute the quote speaks volumes. The US is an empire so get used to people calling a spade a spade. If you don't like it, change it - oppose the empire and take your country back from the imperialist who run it.

__________________
Viva Fidel

"If there ever was in the history of humanity an enemy who was truly universal, an enemy whose acts and moves trouble the entire world, threaten the entire world, attack the entire world in any way or another, that real and really universal enemy is precisely Yankee imperialism"

"North Americans don't understand... that our country is not just Cuba; our country is also humanity"

Since it is just about impossible to prove a negative, I would not even bother to attempt it. Why should I?

And on this point, we are all supposed to meekly accept your ipse dixit?

Probably not...

This is clearly a circular argument, as it begins with the false premise that we are all in substantial agreement that the US is an "empire" (it is not), and that those who are uncomfortable with the concept are therefore obligated to "take...back" the country. More ultra-leftist propaganda.

Well, this "empire" isn't going to collapse anytime to soon. You have NO idea what you are talking about. Have no doubt, our air superiority is unmatched. And I am certain that the "Russo-Venezuelan relationship" you describe will collapse long before the US does. If our military might makes us a world power and an empire, so be it.

Don't feed the troll.

Hmm...well, that might take 12 hours to deal with. Wouldn't even need a CVBG (though that would certainly be an effective solution), just a couple of Improved Los Angeles-class SSN's. Position them offshore around, say, 0200 local time, and have each of them launch 18 Tomahawks (three from the torpedo tubes, the twelve vertical-launch tubes, then three more from the torpedo tubes). Thirty-six cruise missiles targeted at the airfields should turn everything into scrap easily enough. If not, THEN send in the CVBG and its Super Hornets.

__________________
Jarlaxle
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I know that I will never be politically correct
And I don't give a damn about my lack of ettiquette
--Jim Steinman

I have a few extra can's of spam. No reason to let him starve. If he's so much of a troll, he would have been gone long ago.

I am content with discussing America's air superiority and military might with NGOA. It's an excellent topic. More than that, it gives me the opportunity to showcase a few of our planes.

Let's keep the odds even, so we'll assign our F-15's to the mission. The Flankers don't stand a chance. Even in a dogfight, our boys would decimate the SU-30's. We'll save the Raptors for a more challenging task.

F-15E 'Strike' Eagle Long-Range Interdiction Fighter, USA

The Boeing F-15E dual-role fighter is an advanced long-range interdiction fighter and tactical aircraft. The F-15E is the latest version of the Eagle, a Mach 2.5-class twin-engine fighter. More than 1,500 F-15s are in service worldwide with the US Air Force, US Air National Guard and the air forces of Israel, Japan and Saudi Arabia, including over 220 F-15E fighters.



F-15K
In April 2002, the Republic of Korea chose the F-15K as its next-generation fighter. 40 aircraft, to be known as the 'Slam Eagle', have been ordered. The first flight of the F-15K took place in March 2005 and deliveries began in October 2005. The F-15K is planned to enter operational service in 2008. It was announced in May 2006 that 20 more would be ordered in 2009 when the first batch had been delivered.

The F-15K is powered by General Electric F110-GE-129 engines and features a new electronic warfare suite including BAE Systems IEWS ALR-56C(V)1 radar warner, BAE Systems IDS ALE-47 countermeasures dispenser system and Northrop Grumman ALQ-135M radar jammer.

Lockheed Martin will provide the Tiger Eyes sensor suite with targeting pod (mid-wave staring array FLIR, laser and CCD TV), navigation pod (terrain following radar and mid-wave staring array FLIR) and long-range IRST (Infrared Search and Track). Raytheon will supply the AN/APG-63(V)1 multi-mode radar. BAE Systems will provide the AN/APX-113 IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system. Data Link Solutions will supply the MIDS fighter datalink.

Kaiser Electronics will provide the cockpit display suite including: five Flat Panel Colour Displays (FPCD), four 6in Multi-Purpose Displays (MPD) and wide field of view Head-Up Display (HUD). The FCPD and MFD feature Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display (AMLCD) technology.

"More than 1,500 F-15s are in service worldwide."The Republic of Korea has ordered Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and Boeing SLAM-ER stand-off land attack missiles for the new aircraft. First flight of a SLAM-ER, which has a range of 278km (150nm), onboard an F-15E took place in February 2004.

COCKPIT
While F-15A/C aircraft are single-crew aircraft, F-15B/D/E have a crew of two. The F-15E is crewed by the pilot and the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO).

The WSO is equipped with two Sperry full-color and two Kaiser single-color cathode ray tubes. The WSO can access information from the radar, electronic warfare or infrared sensors, and monitor aircraft or weapons status and possible threats. The WSO also selects targets and navigates with the aid of a moving map display, produced by an AlliedSignal remote film strip reader.

The pilot's crew station features one full-colour and two single-colour cathode ray tubes. These are being upgraded to Rockwell Collins 5in Flat Panel Colour Displays using active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) technology. A holographic wide-field-of-view head-up display (HUD) from Kaiser provides the pilot with flight and tactical information.

USAF F-15s are scheduled to receive the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) developed by Vision Systems International and currently in low-rate initial production.

WEAPONS
The F-15E aircraft can carry payloads up to 23,000lb. The aircraft can carry up to four Lockheed Martin / Raytheon AIM-9LM infrared-guided Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, up to four Raytheon AIM-7F/M radar-guided Sparrow air-to-air missiles, or eight Raytheon AMRAAM radar-guided, medium-range air-to-air missiles.

"The F-15E is crewed by the pilot and the WSO."Ranges for these missiles are: Sidewinder: 8km; Sparrow: 45km; and AMRAAM: 50km. The range of air-to-ground ordnance includes guided GBU-10, -12, -15 and -24 bombs, and Raytheon AGM-65 Maverick infrared-guided missiles. Maverick's range is 25km.

The first units of GBU-15 glide bomb upgraded with Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance have been delivered for deployment on the F-15E. The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) was cleared for carriage on the F-15E in February 2005.

The F-15E is the first aircraft to be armed with the Boeing GBU-39 GPS-guided 113kg (250lb) small diameter bomb. Up to 12 bombs can be carried. The SDB entered Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) in April 2005 and achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC) on the F-15E in September 2006.

The aircraft is also armed with an internal General Dynamics M-61A1 20mm Gatling gun installed in the right wing root, which can fire 4,000 or 6,000 shots a minute.

TARGETING
The integrated avionics systems provide all-weather, around-the-clock navigation and targeting capability. The Raytheon APG-70 synthetic aperture radar displays high-quality images of ground targets. APG-70 is able to create and freeze the high-resolution ground maps during quick sweeps of the target area, lasting only seconds.

USAF F-15Es are being fitted with the upgraded Raytheon APG-63(V)3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar which has a new transmitter, receiver, data processor and signal data converter. The first was delivered to Boeing for flight tests in September 2006.

The F-15E is fitted with the Lockheed Martin LANTIRN navigation and targeting system. The LANTIRN navigation pod contains a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor, which produces video images that are projected onto the pilot's HUD, and terrain-following radar. The LANTIRN system can be coupled to the flight control system for hands-off terrain, following at altitudes as low as 200ft. The LANTIRN targeting pod contains a tracking FLIR and laser designator.

After obtaining a radar image of the target area, the F-15E aircrew can designate targets by positioning a cursor on the radar display. The target data is transferred to the LANTIRN system for use by the tracking FLIR, which enables aiming of air-to-ground weapons from up to ten miles. Target tracking data is handed automatically to precision-guided weapons such as low-level laser-guided bombs, which can be guided to the target after release.

"The F-15E fighter is equipped with an integrated internal electronic warfare suite."In August 2001, Lockheed Martin was selected to provide the Sniper XR as the new Advanced Targeting Pod for USAF F-16 and F-15E aircraft. Sniper XR (Extended Range) incorporates a high-resolution mid-wave FLIR, dual-mode laser, CCD TV, laser spot tracker and laser marker combined with advanced image processing algorithms. Operational deployment of the Sniper pod on the F-15E began in January 2005, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

COUNTERMEASURES
The aircraft is equipped with an integrated internal electronic warfare suite, including: Lockheed Martin AN/ALR-56C radar warning receiver; Northrop Grumman AN/ALQ-135(V) radar jammer; and Raytheon AN/ALQ-128 EW warner. Northrop Grumman is upgrading the ALQ-135 to Band 1.5 standard. It is also fitted with a BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions (formerly Tracor) AN/ALE-45 automatic chaff dispenser.

FLIGHT CONTROL
The F15E is equipped with a triple-redundant BAE SYSTEMS Astronics flight control system. Using manual terrain following, navigation is possible over rough terrain at altitudes down to 200ft, at nearly 600mph, with the pilot following commands from the LANTIRN system. Automatic terrain following is accomplished through the flight control system linked to the LANTIRN navigation pod's terrain-following radar.

ENGINES
F-15Es are equipped with Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 low-bypass turbofan engines, which provide 29,000lb of thrust per engine. Using the digital electronic engine control system, the pilot can accelerate from idle power to maximum afterburner within four seconds.

Air Force Technology - F-15E Strike Eagle Long-Range Interdiction Fighter

Except it wouldn't be the Air Force F-15's. It would be the Navy's Hornets & Super Hornets.

__________________
Jarlaxle
----------------------------------------------------
I know that I will never be politically correct
And I don't give a damn about my lack of ettiquette
--Jim Steinman

I know, but I wanted to match up the aircraft so that it highlights our pilots flight skills, rather than the superiority of our aircraft. The F-15 Eagle is comparable to the su-30.