I've seen analysis that Cruise was a major factor in the ending of the Cold War. With every major USN ship a potential strategic nuke platform, as well as GLCM in Europe and wherever else they get deployed in a crisis and ALCM B52/B1, the pre-emptive task was impossible. In addition with thousands of low level cruise missile to defend against PVO Strany was in conniptions, where was the look down-shoot down capability to get all of these missile coming from?
WI an analgous situation had occured in the early 70s instead of the mid/late 80s but with TSR2 and F111 instead of cruise? I think everybody knows the TSR2 story, but WI the RAF got at least the 150 it planned? Not everybody knows the saga of USAF F111s. The USAF wanted some 1600 planes, but when trouble struck they built them in fits and starts in 5 variants, totalling about 560 planes. I've seen it suggested that a better solution would have been once trouble struck they should have stopped production and gone back to the drawing board, sorted the problems out and then re-started production with the definitive variant. This certainly would have reduced costs and lead to increased production, perhaps double OTL numbers.
With 2 F111 wings alongside 2 TSR2 wings in Britain where does the USAF station it's other 8 F111 wings? Japan, Sth Korea, Alaska, Turkey? How does the Soviet Union respond, can they respond? Does the USSR go broke trying to invent AEW&C and interceptors with the flight performance and look down-shoot down capabilities needed to intercept over 1000 planes skimming the treetops at Mach 1?
WI an analgous situation had occured in the early 70s instead of the mid/late 80s but with TSR2 and F111 instead of cruise? I think everybody knows the TSR2 story, but WI the RAF got at least the 150 it planned? Not everybody knows the saga of USAF F111s. The USAF wanted some 1600 planes, but when trouble struck they built them in fits and starts in 5 variants, totalling about 560 planes. I've seen it suggested that a better solution would have been once trouble struck they should have stopped production and gone back to the drawing board, sorted the problems out and then re-started production with the definitive variant. This certainly would have reduced costs and lead to increased production, perhaps double OTL numbers.
With 2 F111 wings alongside 2 TSR2 wings in Britain where does the USAF station it's other 8 F111 wings? Japan, Sth Korea, Alaska, Turkey? How does the Soviet Union respond, can they respond? Does the USSR go broke trying to invent AEW&C and interceptors with the flight performance and look down-shoot down capabilities needed to intercept over 1000 planes skimming the treetops at Mach 1?