Pierre Sprey -- father of the A-10, co-father of the F-16 and ardent F-22/F-35 critic -- has teamed up with ex-Vietnam fighter jock Col Robert Dilger to propose a fascinating vision for an "effectiveness-based" airpower fleet. (Read more here, pp 159-162)
- 4,000 smaller, more agile A-10s = $60 billion
- 2,500 turboprops as forward air controllers = $3 billion
- 100 new tankers = $28 billion
- 1,000 dirt-strip C-123-like airlifters = $30 billion
- 1,100 smaller, faster F-16s = $44 billion
- 183 F-22s already purchased
- 200 F-35s redesignated as A-35s "to meet commitments to allies" = $50 billion
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