re: 8th Air force last operational loss in WW2

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Just like with the entire premise of the need for F-18s in Top Gun: Maverick. Having to do a low-level penetration through that "canyon" and then the ridiculous Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) delivery was completely unnecessary. That mission could have been completed by a single B-2 bomber with the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP).

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Of all of the movies ever made, that may have been the dumbest.

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Top Gun: Maverick


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Of all of the movies ever made, that may have been the dumbest

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There are more holes in the plot than Vandy's secondary. I'm coming from an AF perspective, but I'd assume Navy mission planning would be similar. My questions (and observations):

1. Why not take out the SAM sites with Tomahawks?
2. We had "eyes on" intel of the objective and it was obviously poorly defended, why not just send SOF troops upriver to plant explosives or otherwise sabatoge?
3. Why not plan that mission for either daybreak or dusk? Dusk would give you enough light to navigate the canyon but you'd have the cover of darkness for escape. Daybreak would be the least opposing forces on duty and ready.
4. Why would you not have fighters and SAR in the air to cover their escape and protect the fleet?
5. Who is Hondo and what is his job? 06s don't have personal assistants. I've never been on an active carrier, but I'm assuming everyone on that fight deck is well-trained and well-controlled, so Hondo is just going to get free range of the deck although he is obviously not assigned to the carrier?
6. The "Hard Deck" bar, it is on base? If so, drinking in uniform would be accepted but not getting wild. If that bar is off base, there'd absolutely be no foolish activities in uniform.
7. No matter how decorated a pilot is or who has his back if he disobeys orders and destroys a multimillion-dollar test aircraft, he wouldn't see the light of day again for many years.
8. When Mav flew over the guard shack and dislodged the roof, the Admiral would have been knocked down at the least if not severely injured.
9. Would you land an aircraft with no front landing gear on a carrier? Seems like that would have a lot of potential to greatly damage the ship and flight deck. I understand the ejection seats didn't work, but wouldn't it be better to ditch in the water and have a rescue team from the ship pull Mav and Rooster out?
10. Don't even get me started on the F14 that just happened to be there fueled up, prepped, armed and hooked up to an engine cart. The only case that would happen is if that plane is on alert and if that were the case the crew and guards would be nearby.

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Having to do a low-level penetration through that "canyon" and then the ridiculous Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) delivery was completely unnecessary.

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While partially correct, the F-111F’s of the 48th TFW practiced missions exactly like this for many years once they had Pave Tac pods installed into the bomb bays.
Of course they usually lobbed the LGB’s from a distance but the inverted move over mountain ridges was a move they employed many a time to minimize their bounce time over the ridge. Airplanes aerodynamic profile allows for a steeper pull inverted than pushing the stick over forward as they crest a peak.

As for high speed, radar avoidance through canyons they practiced this every day in the Scottish Highlands in anticipation of having to do the same thing through the Urals if the need was ever called for during the Cold War.

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F-111F’s

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Pave Tac pods

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during the Cold War

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Dude, this movie was set in the present, not the 1980s. Like I said, a single B-2 with a single MOP would have accomplished this mission, but there's no theatrics in that.

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Airplanes aerodynamic profile allows for a steeper pull inverted than pushing the stick over forward as they crest a peak.

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Very familiar with how aerodynamics work. I'm not questioning the aerodynamics, just the foolishness of needing to do such a mission.

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I'm probably the worst offender btw

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Get back in line and wait your turn….sir.
:)

If I had a dollar per gripe for every military snafu in the movies I’d be a very rich man.

Loved how the SU-57 in TGM rotates as they pass with it’s semi Cobra maneuver/reversal yet somehow instantaneously closes the gap on a 14 in full burner going the other way.

Who knew a “Felon” had damn near hyper-sonic capability in order to close like that?

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Loved how the SU-57 in TGM rotates as they pass with it’s semi Cobra maneuver/reversal yet somehow instantaneously closes the gap on a 14 in full burner going the other way.

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yep, had to roll my eyes with a silent GTFO of here with that!

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B29 in the 8th

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You mean B-17. B-29s were only in the Pacific. My Grandfather was a bombardier on one.

Awesome! So he was with the 509th Composite Group?

My Grandfather was with the 40th BG, 25th BS.

pretty damn cool

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