A manpad may or may not be able to do much damage to an A-10. I believe A-10's have been known to loose an engine and still fly. Plus the fact that the cockpit is kind of armored like an army tank.
But KC-10 tanker, loaded with fuel, is a different story.
Providing escort, in this part of the world, might not be a bad idea.
It is unfortunate that the KC-46 is not available today but in the future.
Maybe the air force should have put more of a priority on their beans and bullets (tankers) than their fancy weapons (F-22, F-35 programs).
My son is a KC-135 pilot who has deployed twice now. He lost a pilot friend this past week in Afghanistan.
>>>One thing that could be done would be to use something like the A-10 Warthog as Fighters to accompany the tanker until it gains enough altitude.
A manpad may or may not be able to do much damage to an A-10. I believe A-10’s have been known to loose an engine and still fly. Plus the fact that the cockpit is kind of armored like an army tank.<<<
Idea is not new for this part of the world. In 1980s Soviets used helicopter gunships to shield troop transports from heat-seeking missiles over Kabul airport and Bagram airbase.