Despite the Trump Administration's condemnation of waste, fraud, and abuse in the military contracting system, President Trump enthusiastically announced a new entry into our aircraft arsenal: the F-47, a sixth-generation fighter jet that will be built by the embattled defense contractor Boeing.

Other than Trump's usual superlatives, "It's something the likes of which nobody has seen before," no costs, timelines, or specific capabilities were mentioned. We do know, however, that the aircraft has been under development for several years, under the corrupt, unaccountable, wasteful system that produces cost overruns and delays, and a prime contractor known to prioritize its stock price over shop-floor quality control.

Warfare is rapidly changing…

In many close support encounters, cheap drones are more effective than billion-dollar aircraft, mainly when the target is limited in scope.

The advent of precision-guided weaponry has diluted the essence of war to force political change. In the past, large-scale destruction and the visible consequences of war galvanized public opinion, pressuring governments into action or retreat.

Today, surgical strikes and drone warfare allow conflicts to persist in the shadows, minimizing immediate civilian casualties but also reducing the visceral impact war once had on the populace. This detachment makes it easier for governments to engage in prolonged military operations without facing significant public resistance. When war is no longer felt at home—when it is reduced to distant, clinical precision—it risks becoming a tool wielded with less accountability, shifting power away from the people and into the hands of decision-makers who no longer fear public outrage.

For decades, precision weaponry—smart bombs, guided missiles, and AI-driven targeting systems—promised to make war more "surgical." The goal? Minimize collateral damage, protect civilians, and conduct military operations with a scalpel instead of a hammer. But the very premise of these costly, highly effective weapons is now under quiet assault.

Nations and defense contractors alike are facing a harsh reality: war is becoming too expensive to fight at scale when every missile costs millions. Warfare is shifting back toward older, cruder methods as these advanced weapons degrade in effectiveness—either through countermeasures, cost-cutting, or obsolescence. Cheap drones, mass artillery, and brute-force destruction are replacing the high-tech "humane" warfare of past decades.

Essentially, the tools designed to make war more precise are becoming an Achilles' heel.

The advantage vanishes if an adversary can outlast the stockpile of expensive precision weapons. The result? The return of indiscriminate tactics, a renewed reliance on sheer firepower, and an erosion of the idea that war can be controlled, limited, or humane.

Perhaps the greatest irony is the deliberate decline in effective, expensive weapons dismantles the idea that war can be fought cleanly. If precision is a luxury nations can no longer afford, then the concept of controlled warfare dies with it.

Bottom line…

One can only hope that the F-47 is better managed, more cost-effective, and more robust than the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, which has suffered significant cost overruns, delays, and maintenance issues.

Major deployment issues come with more sophistication and complexity, unlike the Russians, who build less capable, more pilot-friendly aircraft that can be flown with minimal training.

We are so screwed.

-- Steve