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Wasn't there talk of using the B-1 or even B-52 as an "arsenal ship" like that?

A F-22/35 goes in to find targets, relays them to the bomber, and the bomber slings missiles from BVR.

I think if any bomber were to be used in this capacity it'd be a B-21, stealthy, good capacity, but still subsonic so vulnerable. The range of AMRAAM is still considered being in the danger zone for those aircraft. I've used the F-15EX as a missile boat against China in Command: Modern Operations to great success. Some context I used to be in the AF and worked on raptors but, now it's more of a hobby. All information I'm discussing is gleaned from the Command simulation which is publicly available and a relatively good approximation of reality.

Dale Brown - Flight of the Old Dog

Yup, I remember this! B-52 armed to the teeth with AIM-120s. Later he has B-1, B-2, and F-111 versions too.

I remember enjoying his earlier novels. His later novels became both weirder and more political, so not much of a fan of them.

It has to be inherent in the genre. Clancy fell off a cliff in the mid 90's also.

Stephen Coonts was the most severe. His last Jake Grafton novel was absolutely cringeworthy - I say that as a (former) fan.

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