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Use of tactical Fighters/bombers(with High Payload Capacity) as Cruise Missile Trucks ?

Babur Han

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Fighters like the F-22 have an high Payload Capacity and for example the F-22 can be armed with up to 4 JASSM-ER on it's outside Pylons, this mean 4 F-22 Class Fighters nearly archieve the Firepower of one B-52 ! Could it make sense to use F-22, F-111 or any other Fighter Aircraft which can carry up to 4 ALCM for strategic Detternce in Combination with an Tanker Aircraft ?


tanker.JPG


FA-22-Weps-APA.png
 
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Fighters like the F-22 have an high Payload Capacity and for example the F-22 can be armed with up to 4 JASSM-ER on it's outside Pylons, this mean 4 F-22 Class Fighters nearly archieve the Firepower of one B-52 ! Could it make sense to use F-22, F-111 or any other Fighter Aircraft which can carry up to 4 ALCM for strategic Detternce in Combination with an Tanker Aircraft ?


View attachment 264108

FA-22-Weps-APA.png

B-52 can carry 12 JASSM internally on its rotary weapons racks, B-2 16 internally and B-1 24.

The JASSM has or is expected to be fitted to the B-1B Lancer, B-2A Spirit, B-52H Stratofortress, F-15E Strike Eagle, Block 50 F-16C/D, and possibly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The B-1B is considered the threshold platform, and can carry 24 JASSM missiles. The B-2A can carry up to 16 missiles and the B-52H can carry 12 internally on rotary launchers. Fighter aircraft can carry one or two JASSMs under each wing. The F-35, if certified to carry the JASSM, could carry two missiles internally (although some suggest the F-35 internal bay is too small to fit the JASSMs).

But, that isn't all the B-52 can carry, as noted here with a B-52 dropping a JASSM from a wing-mounted pylon:

JASSM.jpg


Each rotary rack can support 6 JASSM - previous loads included 8 ALCM:

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B-52 is being upgraded with a new rotary launcher that will have an expanded capacity:

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Wing-mounted pylons can support 6 each:

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Neither B-2 nor B-1 have wing-mounted pylons.

You'd need double the fighters to match the firepower of a single B-52.
 
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A Group of 4 F-22 can launch 16 Cruise Missiles when each one Carries up to 4 JASSM-ER, it's right that it's not the same Firepower of the B-52 or any other strategic Bomber and seems to be no Solution for the US who have a strong Bomber Fleet.

In my opinion F-111, F-22, SU-34 or (F-15E ?) could be a Solution for States which can not afford a strategic Bomber Capabillity which the US, Russia and China have. In contradiction to B-52, B-1 and B-1 the strategic Detterence Capabillity by this Combination will be very limited, but the higher Ranges of these Aircraft and the Possibility to fly back to Base and rearm the Fighters with ALCM again can put some Pressure on Enemys far away from the own Border !
 
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