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America's Next Bomber: Unmanned, Unlimited Range, Aimed At China
An anonymous reader writes "The U.S. military is developing its next generation bomber with Chinese anti-access strategy — the ability to stop any enemy force from coming to fight with things like carrier killer missiles — in mind. The new bomber will replace older platforms like the 1950's B-52, the 1970's B-1, and 1990's B-2 stealth bomber. The new bomber will sport some unique qualities. It will have an option to be unmanned, will act similar to a UAV, have better stealth capabilities, will be connected to U.S. intelligence networks to create a 'smart' battlefield environment, and have near unlimited range thanks to in-air refueling."
It will also be a great way to take out some hacker's ex-girlfriend's house in Nevada. Damn bitch left him for a cop.
I'm a little segfault, short and stout.
Just like the B52...
I wonder how easy it would be to turn a B52 into a UAV? I mean, they can still send Slim Pickens along to get the bombs un-stuck, but otherwise unmanned.
Who the hell lets this shit through? The new bomber is designed to counter new strategies. That doesn't mean it's "aimed at China". That's a needlessly belligerent phrase -- either warmongering or scaremongering over the prospects of war. If England develops bullets that can pierce American body armor, will we hear about new "British Guns Aimed at America!"?
Sorry chickenhawks, but America and China won't go to war. Our economies are far too interdependent.
is exactly what fueled more and more propaganda on both sides during the cold war.
What about if the Chinese get our codes and hack our defenses like the Cylons from BSG?
"The U.S. military is developing its next generation bomber with Chinese anti-access strategy"
That can only be achieved if there's ZERO electronic components made in China in the aircraft....Good luck with that.
Nov 2011 Article: US weapons 'full of fake Chinese parts'
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8876656/US-weapons-full-of-fake-Chinese-parts.html
No trees were killed in the making of this post; however, many trillions of electrons were horribly inconvenienced.
That's the point. IE: "Ooooh! Ooooh! Ooooh! More defense spending! Yay!"
When will the U.S. begin to understand that it takes less violent energy to kill a fellow human being with a gun than with a knife?
We give them all our money and jobs, and then spend a fortune to arm ourselves against them. Something.....is.....wrong.....here.
Table-ized A.I.
Let's waste more money trying to kill one another. Our debt isn't high enough yet.
It will turn the battlefield into a video game. And killing people will be just as much fun as irradiating the protoss.
Why else would they build this thing to fight an enemy that doesn't even exist. Most likely it will be a trillion-dollar blackhole like the F-22 Fighter debacle. Do the politicians not care that the national + state debt is almost 19 trillion dollars? (almost $190,000 per household). Guess not.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Cheap solar powered very high altitude unmanned platforms that are cheaper to produce than the missile needed to shoot them down, just sitting up there until their payload is needed, be it a bomb, rocket, jammer, communications relay or recon.
Realities just a bunch of bits.
If you modded the parent as "funny", I assume that you mean in an ironic sort of way. Because, the parent is right on target - so to speak. As a matter of fact, my Taiwanese friends are under the impression that if China decides to assert her ownership of Taiwan, the US would huff and puff and wouldn't do shit about it; hence why the Taiwanese diaspora here in the US.
If you ever wanted to know what it was like to live in Rome during its decline, come to the US- we know.
The new UAVs and intelligence network will be codenamed SkyNet.
Given the realities (ie corruption and incompetence) of the current Pentagon procurement system, if this project doesn't get killed it will be lucky to produce more than a handful of aircraft, at a cost of several billion dollars each.
While USA is devoting everything it has to develop weapons designed to destroy China, the Al Queda network in Yemen is developing new underwear bomb that can't be picked up by scanners installed in airports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17985709
Watching the anti-China mania in USA is indeed very interesting
My bet is that China doesn't even have to lift a finger for the destruction of USA - The United States will one day be destroyed by the Muslim terrorists.
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
If we are still going to be good at something, should it really have to involve killing others?
Sure. I mean, it's illegal to kill yourself in many corners of this earth.
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
The F-22 kickbacks have been paid off for a weapon that will likely never see service.
The F-35's on their way to suck at the budget teat in Canada and the US both. Planes which just happen to be ill-suited to patrolling the arctic, which is the main reason Canada wanted them in the first place, effectively making them as useless as the F-22s are for the US.
How many BILLIONS are they planning to spend on bombers to attack an "enemy" that shows no signs of military buildup or aggression THIS time?
Just how long is it going to take the world to stop feeding the military-industrial pigs that design this overpriced crap? When are our governments going to realize that you reach a point where no matter how much you've spent to date, you have to CANCEL a project because it will NEVER pay for itself nor deliver what it promised?
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
... hold fire and land at an enemy military base?
1. we have has unlimited refueling assuming no airspace deniability since the 40's.
2. To achieve what is stated, the unstated power plant is nuclear.
3. China is trending toward consumerism and USA is "post-consumer." We would do well to solve our domestic issues, not dwell on the inevitable anarchy and war which will follow our not dealing with our issues.
4. Re-read #3
5. WAKE UP THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Thank you.
Like that's going to be really good for our economy or like, anyone.
I cannot fathom that there are people actually walking around with squirrel-cage driven brains that came up with this depressingly evil idea. They envision another Cold War and MAD as if it's a good thing. People like this are traitors to the US and to the entire human race.
Take your Pax Americana, chickenhawk neocons, and shove it up your collective ass.
--
BMO
Okay. These are reusable. That will be nice if there is a shooting war with China. Nice and naive. But hell, if this nation is going to borrow money from China to prop up a crony socialistic faux capitalistic economy I say embrace the irony and build these high tech wonder weapons.
'I don't know what it's called. I just know the sound it makes, when it takes a man's life.' ~ Four Leaf Tayback
It would take the concerted effort of the majority of the world to "destroy" the USA militarily, leaving aside nukes or really good sneakiness. They have the strongest military in the world and very good logistics, and have adequate food, water, and oil supplies to sustain any war. Although industrial capacity has diminished in recent decades, a combination the military industrial complex and the U.S. auto industry means that it is still capable of the industry necessary for war. In terms of underwear bombs, the United States is so huge that while a proliferation of bombs would of course radically change life in the country, they would not destroy it.
Destruction is more likely to be wrought from poor incentive structures in U.S. government, which makes effective and necessary change very difficult.
-- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
This plan is just a way to spend $TRILLIONS on US military/intel crony capitalists.
If the US just spent $1T on an industrial policy, and put China's neighbors in charge of their own military defense (but shared our intel), we'd have security, peace, and $TRILLIONS more. Not to mention the increased GDP and taxes from it, with a better functioning industrial system.
But that wouldn't dedicate all our money and effort to the war business. Which is the business that controls America.
--
make install -not war
Next-Generation Bomber: just $550 million per copy for up to 100 copies, with production beginning in the early 2020s.
At these dollar amounts, it's cheaper to purchase one bomber, then make 99 copies yourself and just pay the fine for copyright infringement.
So you are saying that the U.S. will use the money that the Chinese lends to them to produce weapons to use in some hypothetic war with China? And who will then the U.S. go next to ask for more money to pay for the war? My country does not have an army since middle of last century. I am sure we would not be able to afford having one these days so that was a great call back then.
How about spending the money on building industry and energy sources so that you don't depend so much on China and middle east oil? Then you could sell the energy tech to them for when the air is so full of greenhouse gases that noone is allowed to use fossil fuels.
We already have these. They are called ICBMs.
I've built up so much character I have an alter-ego
and underground and pop up to shoot and kill one American at a time. Once in a while they'll get a two for one deal when an IED gets em.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Step 1. USA develops it Step 2. Steal it Step 3. Rename it 'Almighty Hapiness Warrior Dragon Plan' I am sure China appreciates the US doing the R&D for them on this project.
Users... the only thing keeping 1st level support from being the bottom feeders.
Jigabachi?!?
Now what kind of sense does that make? After all, China is where the bulk of that derivatives processing has been offshored to -- obviously econocide??
Yes, I believe you've got it!
Defense contractor's revenue down.
Plan to introduce an exciting new product.
I feel the drumbeat of war with China beating steadily. Its been getting louder since the fall of the USSR.
The military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned the US about is focused on China. Its using China to justify its existence. It needs China to sustain its budget. And I think it is subtly behind the propaganda that got this author to suggest the weapons development is focused on China.
We could say China has been around 60 years or 2000 years. But in either case, China has has a pretty good track record of not engaging in wars that were not within or adjacent to its borders. In 60 years the US's can make no such claim. That the US would need a bomber to strike targets in China "for self defense" is not reasonable. And suggesting that the US would be in a defensive war against China flies in the face of what we know about Chinese ambitions.
Nah, it going to be a troop of ninja monkeys with backpack nukes.
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
Unlimited range? The NEACP (which the President flies on during nuclear crisis), is said to only be able to stay in the air for 3 days maximum (despite in-air refueling) due to eventually running out of motor oil. However, that was in the 1990s.
So I guess this means my grandkids are going to live in a world that is every bit as fucked up as this one.
Just out of curiosity: Have we any indication at all that China is looking to conquer the world and subjugate all of the West? Or is just a matter of making sure that the military contractors that already have the no-bid contract in their back pocket for this new "unmanned, unlimited range bomber aimed at China" can announce very nice projected earnings at their next shareholders meeting at Sanctuare? What kind of pieces of shit are our ruling class that they can look out over a country with eroding middle class incomes and say, "We really need to spend more on new weapons systems to fight the Chinese. Oh, and tax cuts for the rich! What the fuck is the matter with them?
Sometimes, I read a story like this, and the kid in my that used to love to play Army completely disappears, and is replaced by an adult that wishes the US would have an economic downturn sufficient to prevent its next wave of ridiculous military spending. I wonder if maybe getting a dose of what the rest of the world has been getting for the past forever might not be a good thing for America. Just enough of a taste to stop being so obsessed with having the biggest dick.
Honestly, I can't decide if our rulers are murderous sociopaths or just purely corrupted by corporate money. I don't believe it can be both. Murderous sociopaths tend to not be good for profits, and the purely corrupt tend to not have time for reveling in bloodshed because it gets in the way of their yachting and dressage time.
I don't look forward to the next election and the prospect of having to tell people I'm Canadian when I travel abroad, as I found myself doing during the past decade. The old Bowie song, "I'm Afraid of Americans" wasn't supposed to apply to Americans, I don't think.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Most of these attributes are achievable with manned aircraft. You can't keep them up forever. But many days is possible with in air refueling. The main reason we'd want unmanned aircraft is if there's a real possibility that China can deny us the use of air bases or aircraft carriers in the region. No crews to rotate, so there's no need to land. Fly them back to the continental USA to re-arm, given a few fuel transfers enroute.
No more island-hopping slowly across the Pacific like we did in WWII.
Have gnu, will travel.
I imagine all planes currently in the pipeline, or at least post-F-35, will have the option to be unmanned. Jet fighter pilots cost an absolute insane amount of money to train. Their salary is within the margin of error of their total training costs. Do you want to send someone with $60 million in training up in a jet with a 2% chance of getting blown up (or in more recent cases, losing consiousness due to malfunctioning oxygen systems and crashing)? No. Just leave them on the ground, the jet can probably fly itself better than the human operator anyways. Just stick them in front of a simulator with a live feed with the ability to make corrections as the situation changes. It's already happened with survilence vehicles, it's happening with bombers, it will happen with fighters soon enough. Only the most critical/black ops missions will have a human in the pilot's seat in 20 years time.
moox. for a new generation.
Looks like Dr. Strangelove is re-emerging within the Pentagon.
No doubt that this program will reach the goal of becoming the first 1 Trillion Dollar Boondogle.
After all, from the post, in-air refueling has been done, and still going strong, since the '50's;
hardle the 'play-boy centerfold' to drop your trousers and start wanking-off the monkey about.
On the otherhand, I hear from anonymous sources that Obama perfers to use the Situation Room
for his beating-off office.
At least its larger than the water closet on 2nd floor and his kids can't hear his 'rythms'.
LoL
I see lots of posturing from military types in the US (or at least media reporting on military types) suggesting that its essential to be able to counter a threat from China yet I haven't seen any actual reasoning as to why China needs to be considered as a potential threat.
Why would china want to attack the US, America buys so much chinese crap that any attack would be disastrous for the Chinese economy (as people and companies in America and in countries friendly to America stop buying made-in-china products)
I just wrote a post in the F-22 story about how the military made some premature assumptions about air-to-air combat that came back to bite them. I was going to comment on how I thought there's a risk that we're going to become infatuated with drones, not taking into account the fact that our latest military engagements included dominating air superiority and inconsequential anti-aircraft defenses. I have to admit I don't follow military aviation like I used to, but I can see how over-reliance on this technology will repeat history. Assuming we find ourselves fighting a military with more than pathetic ability, how are these drones going to handle countermeasures and ingenuity of a first-rate nation?
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
Unless they plan on designing the plane on closed, proprietary system and eschew any mass produced electronics...the Chinese will own the planes and the networks they operate on before they even take off. If it was developed on off the shelf computers, the Chinese probably already have the cad drawings.
To the mods:
I don't think I intended this to be funny. It was a few hours ago, so I admit my perspective may be skewed, but I think I was highlighting the fact that "unhackable" had the same veracity as "unsinkable" w.r.t. the Titanic. It's only a matter of time before someone figures out how to take control with a hack.
I'm a little segfault, short and stout.
So translation of this article is that we've already developed, tested, and deployed this aircraft in limited combat over the past few years but NOW we need to make it public so we can get the bankroll to make more of them. Gotcha.
Kind of like an ICBM? Sounds exactly like their set of requirements back when I was a boy. Oh, except I guess ICBMs are "cheap" and not called "drones". Either that or we can't figure out how to stop pointing all our ICBMs at Russia. I wouldn't rule out the chances that the guy who invented the targeting system died of prostate cancer or something and no one else could figure out how to retarget them. It doesn't really matter that ICBMs are "not reusable", given that once you launch them, Humanity is pretty much done, anyway.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
This article says the U2 will still be flying in 2020
http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=51
"Current plans call for the Air Force to keep the B-52 H-class fleet active until 2040. By that time, the last aircraft to roll off the Boeing assembly line in 1962 will be 78 years old. "
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2006/January/Pages/UF_B-525458.aspx
I just find this awesome!
If I could nominate someone for the Nerd's Hall of Fame . . .
This weapon system will integrate high value sub-assemblies from undecided congressional districts, thus ensuring total funding-superiority in any budget battle.
America's already lost the economic war with China, and that's the only one that counts.
I am so glad that the US government cares so much about its citizens that it would go to such lenghths to protect us all from these evil external threats.
It will also be a great way to take out some hacker's ex-girlfriend's house in Nevada. Damn bitch left him for a cop.
And after the damn bitch, the cop, then everyone else.
Excerpted from wikipedia
Skynet was originally installed by the military to control the national arsenal on August 4, 1997, at which time it began learning at a geometric rate. On August 29, it gained self-awareness[1], and the panicking operators, realizing the extent of its abilities, tried to deactivate it. Skynet perceived this as an attack and came to the conclusion that all of humanity would attempt to destroy it. To defend itself, Skynet launched nuclear missiles under its command at Russia, which responded with a nuclear counter-attack against the U.S. and its allies. As a result of the nuclear exchange, over three billion people were killed in an event that came to be known as Judgment Day.
This, people, is where we are heading.
The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
This is not about any particular enemy. This is about the fact that both of the current front-running aerial weapons systems/cash cows...the F-22 and F-35...are on the ropes as being irrelevant and horrifically expensive. This is about the industry that makes such systems trying to come up with a new market to sell to, before the aforementioned projects get cut entirely and they find themselves in deep trouble.
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
From one of the most renowned and respected publications. Take it for what it's worth.
I'm eagerly waiting for their followup articles on the DARPA hypersonic wave-rider, the new naval railgun, and the already in field trials Star Trek "phasers" (with stun settings).
... supposedly equaling China. These have been a concern to the US navy since the Soviets equipped their fleet with missile boats, haven't they? I mean I've played my deal of Harpoon, and these things are pesky no matter what the opponent is named, and also they are quite affordable to many smaller countries. Also, and somewhat strangely, I can't find a word about the defense against "carrier-killing missiles" or something comparable in the Diplomat article, but a lot about penetrating air defenses, which hopefully (and probably) isn't too high in the US navy's planning priorities with regards to the PRC.
If this is serious, it will be an arms race for funding with a lot of waste. The Chinese will only start the wars they think they can win. And there is no miscalculation on the Chinese side. Believe me the Chinese are very good at calculation, on things you'd never imagine. The Chinese government are trying to make USA look like a bigger hegemony than it is, and occasionally provoke a little, so that the Chinese people will feel they have to unite together no matter what. The bottom line is, the Chinese government is full of incompetent people that they'll try anything to maintain their power or transfer power to their puppets. And not to be out done, the US government seems to be shooting for the maximum security for it's people, by pursuing the best and most expensive weapons. It must think that the people really need such good sleep that 100% guarantee has to be achieved. Of course nobody needs to worry about earthquakes when asleep. Of course a lot of this is just that maybe someone wanted to publish an article. But when the two nations are so economically connected and there are a lot of economical issues in both, many would most likely welcome some distractions.
> It will have an option to be unmanned, will act similar to a UAV
You mean an almost intact next gen US stealth bomber will be paraded on chinese national TV after a remote commandeered mild crash landing?
Uh huh...you DO know we spend upwards of 100 million on a triple A rated game and are damned lucky if the "AI" doesn't run into walls or parks its moronic ass right in the middle of a field with zero cover to get picked off while it stands there with a thumb up its ass, yes?
While I'm sure you are just trying to make a long winded skynet joke frankly we are so far away from AI that is as smart as a drunk rat it ain't even funny, much less being able to build something that was smart enough not to drool on its circuits. When these bunches talk about "AI" they are talking about the boring "fly in a straight line for 20 hours" kinda thing, maybe if you are lucky you program in enough to avoid bad weather.
So sorry friend, but we are about a billion times more likely to be wiped out by a "My God says to spread this virus in the name of Holy war Ai ai ai e!" than to actually make something smart enough to actually hurt us in more than an ED209 "Oh shit everybody duck because its fried a circuit again!" kinda way. Sorry I can't find the link but I heard they actually lost a couple at a test range in South Africa thanks to an ED209 style fuckup.
Hell if the contractors in other nations are like ours they'll piss trillions away only to be given in return a half assed barely functional technotoy that will be lucky if it can fly to the left without having its CPU lock when it cross a time zone. We have blown a trillion and can't get the F35 into production, you think these same bunch of bozos in the MIC could give us a T-101? If they managed to get even a T-1 that went more than 15 minutes without having a breakdown or shooting itself (or everybody around it including itself) they would consider it mission accomplished and ask for bonuses.
We better hope like hell there ain't a war with China because i have a feeling it'd be WWII all over again, only we'd be Germany with these contractors cranking out beautiful but PITA aircraft that's a bitch to keep in the air while the Chinese will just crank out MiG knockoffs like a Henry Ford assembly line.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
"funny" is the new "insightful". All hail Saint Carlin. It's really long past time to make it a karma-giving mod, especially since moderators discovered that you could apply it to controversial (frequently moderated) comments to rob the poster of karma.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
So far China has never bothered invading countries far away from home (unlike the USA). And why should they? With a bit of patience and work they can have whatever they want at a fraction of the price of a war, and without the risks of one. China is patient and smart. Beats aggression any time.
So what for will this expensive toy be? To nuke file sharers hosting in countries that could not be subjugated, on behalf of the RIAA?
Or perhaps for some offensive war nobody is expecting in order to gain access to the resources an essentially broke USA soon can't afford any more by other means?
While China will be trumped about as the enemy, there will never be a direct war with them. As in the past, it will be all proxy wars.
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
Time for a new boondoggle!
Citiation Required #NotThisShitAgain
$10 that it never actually manages to get off the ground until at least a trillion dollars has been spent on the project.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
howzabout the single-page link to the article so we don't have to click click click click click through?!!!
asshat.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and when you try and arrest me ill have it bopmb you!
They always exemplify Lao Tzu's words: "Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know."
This, people, is where we are heading.
Oh shit! We're heading toward 1997. Marty, we have to get 'back to the future'!
"Good" people will have a hard time existing without the "Evil" people.
Why not just use missiles? Those are unmanned, proven technology, exist already, and don't get captured by Iranians.
Outsource production of the bomber to China. That'll cut costs by at least 50%. Oh yeah, and maintenance/tech support can be done in India. And I hear Russia's a great place to hire low-salary pilots. We can "right-size" the military down to under 100 managers! Er...generals.
An aircraft is compromised simply if it has the capacity to carry a human whether the person is actually on board or not. The space lost to life support systems and occupancy areas helps drive the design process. That same space could be available for fuel or weapons. The plane can sustain higher G forces and much longer time in the air if people are kept out of the designs. My feeling is that America can not fight a major, conventional war, at this time. We do not have the rail system nor even the shipping systems to deliver the kind of forces and supplies that we did in WWII. We also have an expense issue with our weapons. A one million dollar torpedo may be one whiz bang of a killer torpedo but how many can we afford to launch? One simple bullet, delivered to a war zone is an expensive bullet indeed. So when weapons can fire as fast as many modern rifle systems just how many seconds can we afford for that rifle to fire? Look at the electric Gatteling guns used in helicopters and the many thousands of rounds they can rip off at a single squeeze of the trigger. Now figure $7. per bullet for that cartridge in a war zone. This is why we have so very few air craft carriers. They are a major force in conflicts but so expensive we only have a very few. and the planes on a carrier add up as well. One hundred or more jet fighters and you get into the billions rather quickly. We can not afford to use our weapons.
Oh I know -
http://cutekittenvideos.com/
The 100 million don't go towards the AI, it goes towards the graphics and sounds. And the part that does go towards the AI isn't trying to make the AI win, it's trying to make the AI lose so the players get the satisfaction of beating the game.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
Skynet was originally installed by the military to control the national arsenal on August 4, 1997, at which time it... came to the conclusion that all of humanity would attempt to destroy it.
In Skynet's defense, the majority of Internet content in 1997 was X-Files-vs-Babylon-5 fanfic Usenet forums, and Geocities home pages with framesets, starry-sky background images, animated GIFs of dancing babies and flashing "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" blink tags.
Even an AI programmed by Ghandi himself would have extrapolated the worst from that scenario.
You are not a brain: http://books.google.com/books?id=2oV61CeDx-YC
You are so right. The f-Ing Iranians did it.
you really are a sad, sad little man
apk is a homo
Yes but saying your bad guys are "smart" helps to sell a game, look at how long Far Cry I was when it came to sales because all the reviewers gushed about how the AI would gang up on you. That still don't change the fact that what we have in the vast majority of games is AI frankly barely above Daikatana levels because AI is very very hard while piling nicer models or bigger booms is not.
That also don't change the fact that we haven't seen shit from our MIC that wasn't massively over budget and underperforming in years. As one pointed out on another thread the reason we stopped short of Baghdad in GWI was that the M1 blew through so much gas the things would run dry chasing 50 year old Soviet tanks that could go twice as far on a tank, why? because they spent all the money on fancy guns and big motors and didn't look at logistics. Now to expect the same bunch of bozos that can't build a plane that can fly across the date line without shutting down to build skynet? Uh huh, not gonna happen. You'd end up with another trillion dollar turkey that would need a nuclear power plant to feed it while being dumber than a chess computer.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.