On: The Pentagon is battling the clock to fix serious, unreported F-35 problems

[jjoonathan]

Yeah, I think the big question is which style of C&C is better. A single pilot in a F-35 closer to the action, or a bunch of pilots further away in a sitting duck with a big antenna.

The answer might even change as AI develops.

If I had a budget the size of the US military, I'd want both.

[andrewflnr → jjoonathan]

I've never understood how the F-35 pilot is supposed to command both their own plane and an army of drones at the same time.

[qaq → jjoonathan]

Once all the LEO satellite communication projects are up and running you could be pretty far and still get decent performance.

[DuskStar → qaq]

I think directed-energy ASAT weapons will be deployable around that time frame, so I wouldn't bet on the resiliency of LEO/MEO constellations there.

[toomuchtodo → DuskStar]

You're going to need a lot of ASAT firepower to put a dent in StarLink's constellation (thousands of minisats).

[DuskStar → toomuchtodo]

And thus lasers, which will presumably have a far higher sustained fire rate / magazine depth than ASAT-capable missiles. (And 100kW-class lasers aren't science fiction anymore, since the US Navy is deploying them for testing)