Should be successor of A-10

Indeed, no human being has yet lived under conditions which, considering the prevailing climates of the past, can be regarded as normal. John E Pfeiffer, The Emergence of Man

Those who can't skin, can hold a leg. Abraham Lincoln

Only one war at a time. Abe Again.

20 May 2017, 09:17

surestrike

Might make a decent COIN airplane but it's not even close to being an A-10 replacement.

21 May 2017, 05:17

f224

It was never even in consideration. The USAF needs about 200 more of two types; the A-10c and the F-22. There is an argument to be made to add 100 or slightly more A-29's, to augment the Reapers, in mixed composition squadrons. The last thing anyone is calling for is a light attack turbojet powered airplane.

22 May 2017, 00:23

Allan DeGroot

For some reason the silk scarf club at the USAF has always hated the A10..

They hate it even though it does the job it was intended to do so very well.

I for one want to see the aircraft maintained in inventory because I have younger cousins who served in the first Gulf war that have a ground pounders appreciation for their capability

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22 May 2017, 03:44

INTJ

quote:
Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
For some reason the silk scarf club at the USAF has always hated the A10..

They hate it even though it does the job it was intended to do so very well.

I for one want to see the aircraft maintained in inventory because I have younger cousins who served in the first Gulf war that have a ground pounders appreciation for their capability

The people with brains in the USAF dislike it because it's slow speed makes it VERY vulnerable. It simply can't ingress and egress fast enough. After Desert Storm, I attanded a briefing by one of the generals that prosecuted the air war in DS. He said the A-10 did a great job as long as they didn't send it where it could get shot at. He described how they sent A-10s to a robust battle area and how they got the shit shot out of them, forcing them to change how they employed the A-10.

25 June 2017, 21:32

viperidae

quote:
The people with brains in the USAF dislike it because it's slow speed makes it VERY vulnerable. It simply can't ingress and egress fast enough. After Desert Storm, I attanded a briefing by one of the generals that prosecuted the air war in DS. He said the A-10 did a great job as long as they didn't send it where it could get shot at. He described how they sent A-10s to a robust battle area and how they got the shit shot out of them, forcing them to change how they employed the A-10.

I have heard this also but what makes no sense is the strong desire to use Apaches for the same role.

26 June 2017, 00:51

Leo L.

The Army is barred from having fixed wing combat aircraft, but they should make an exception for the A10. The USAF could then relax.

27 June 2017, 06:45

viperidae

One HUGE advantage of the A-10 for ground troops is its ability to linger on station once air superiority has been achieved. Having air support available 10 minutes sooner can save lives.