Sure - the thing flies like a pig. But in war, battles are seldom won on speed and maneuverability. Sure - some are… but if you want to win a war, it’s done by putting your meanest, ugliest old boars up front, going toe to toe, face to face until the adversary dies or concedes. We saw this in the Kraine where those stupid Russians with their garbage equipment pounded the shite out of the Ukes with their Bradley’s, M1 tanks, Javelin missiles, and fancy US weaponry. If I were in charge I’d sit down with the Marines and listen to what they have to say. Close air support is a hobby for them and they know what works and what doesn’t.
But whadda I know?
Yep, another stupid decision, alright. I agree that the battlefield is being radically altered by drones, but has anyone thought about the utility of the A-10 in shooting them down? Drones don’t have any dogfighting capabilities, so under attack from a capable fighter such as the A10, they are sitting ducks, and the A-10 is designed for low level suppression whether it is of a tank or a drone, so their utility may not be superannuated like some other weaponry.
ReplyDeleteOh, well.
JerseyJeffersonian
Simply transfer the A-10s to the Marines.
ReplyDeleteOf course nothing is simple. The Air Force has a monopoly on fixed wing, close air support, that's contracted into their Franchise Agreement. Army and Marines, you're welcome to expensive, high cost, high maintenance, less reliable, less effective, choppahs.
(((They))) want to use F15, F16, F22, F35 for close air support. Sounds cheap and reliable. snarc
Alberta should buy them and start our own provincial air force to help with the "rat" patrol.
ReplyDeleteExile1981
The problem is that every Air Force pilot wants to be a fighter pilot.
ReplyDeleteClose Air Support they really don't want to do even though it is critical. It is why the Marines do their own as does the Army with their attack helicopters.
They really NEED to build a new upgraded A10 but the Air Force wants to instead build a bunch of stealth bombers that are mostly useless and cost a fortune.