[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeNcoTMh9YY]YouTube - AMAZING HYPERSONIC PLANE READY TO CHASE UFOs?[/ame] Seems like a huge waste of $$$$.
Let's say that an orbiting satellite spies OBL. Helicopters may be fairly close but are too noisy and al Qaeda has their own spies to send warnings. This makes that very difficult. Another possibility: this will allow us to shoot down ballistic missiles before they enter orbit.
With a manned aircraft? Reconisence would be the most likely, although we have Satellites doing that 24/7 now, which is a large part of why they de-commisoned the Blackbirds. Space flight is the only thing I can think of.
You still have the same problem we have now, how to lock onto and catch up with an incoming ICBM. The best opportunities we currently have are A: Move a warhead into the flight of the ICBM B: Hit the ICBM before it gets up out of the Atmosphere. I guess this could bring opportunities to develop something that could track and catch up with an incoming ICBM, after all nessecity is the mother of invention...which should NEVER be confused with the mother of all wars
Kenny, that's where you lose me. This aircraft's speed should allow it to catch up and target the ICBM, shouldn't it?
