Re:Why so short bursts? (Score 2, Interesting)

If you think we can't launch aircraft within 24 hours and strike targets around the world, you're gravely mistaken. We have people whose jobs are to plan for missions such as this so that we can go out and do exactly that just by putting bombs on the planes and taking off. Not to mention that now days, with our capacities for SATCOM and other techniques, we're able to pass target information on the fly and build them in the air. As for the child thread below who wonders why we need air refueling; it's critical to all military operations. It's what sets us apart from all other air forces. Most aircraft are designed to take off with a certain weight, and getting that amount of stuff in the air usually is at the extreme end of an aircraft's capabilities. So, by fueling the aircraft just enough to take off and then refueling on the way you're able to take more hate to the bad guys. And, it extends the range of our aircraft. It's usually not comfortable, but most of our aircraft are capable of flying indefinitely if you can get them the gas to keep them there. Refueling is instrumental to our operations around the globe. Cheers!