Posted on 09/19/2015 11:40:53 AM PDT by Forgotten Amendments
...“The A-10 is the best ‘close attack’ plane ever made, period,” Sprey tells me. “But the Air Force hates that mission. They’ll do anything they can to kill that plane.” He says retiring the iconic A-10, a twin-engine attack jet with 30-mm cannons that hit with 14 times the kinetic energy of the 20-mm guns mounted on America’s current fleet of supersonic fighters, became an article of faith among high ranking Air Force officers, generations of whom had been raised to believe in the redemptive power of technological innovation.
That mentality drove production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the world’s first $1 trillion weapons system. Development of the F-35 was going on in the background throughout the Afghan War despite mountains of evidence that the stealthy jet would never be able to attack ground targets like the A-10 could. Far away from the fighting, the generals in Washington, DC supported the F-35 because they believed “more technology is always better.”
This same thinking drove the push for armed drones over Afghanistan too. But no matter their technological wizardry, remote-piloted hunter-killer aircraft like the Predator and Reaper were arguably even worse at helping ground troops than even the highest-tech manned jets...
(Excerpt) Read more at motherboard.vice.com ...
I haven't read too much positive about the F-35, and most of that was obviously paid for. But, I'm no expert. One thing I do know a little about is WWII. The B-24 and B-29 were supposed to be upgrades over the old B-17. But neither was nearly as dependable and the crews all preferred the B-17. This reminds me of those days.
“WWII-era” jet????
The A-10 belongs in the Army.
World War II had jets. but you’re right. that is a stupid headline.
Do journalism majors take history classes? The A-10 did not exist in WW-II. Dumbest headline ever.
Agreed.
The Army lacks the support logistics to take on a fixed wing aircraft. It has plenty of rotary wing, but fixed wing is a whole ‘nother bird. Also, the Army doesn’t have the budget.
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American twin-engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. It is the only United States Air Force production aircraft designed solely for close air support, including attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets with limited air defenses.
The A-10 was designed around the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon that is its primary armament. The A-10’s airframe was designed for durability, with measures such as 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and aircraft systems, enabling it to absorb a significant amount of damage and continue flying. The A-10A single-seat variant was the only version built, though one A-10A was converted to an A-10B twin-seat version. In 2005, a program was begun to upgrade remaining A-10A aircraft to the A-10C configuration.
Split them up - The USMC needs about a third of them!
Correction...the generals in Washington, DC supported the F-35 because they believed its manufacturer provided better post retirement employment and benefits.
The WWIII-Era Plane Giving the F-35 a Run for Its Money
ther fixed it
Actually rotorcraft is a bit more complicated than fixing an A10.
The A-1 Skyraider was in the design phase at the tail end of WWII, and from all I’ve read about both respective planes, is probably better at the CAS role than the F-35.
Why do I fly the A-10?
On account of, it kills, period.
And that’s the name of that tune. /Deal of the Century
A-10 should be an ARMY plane.
Pierre Sprey has made a career of being a naysayer. His claim that the Air Force “wants to” retire the A-10 is bogus. They don’t. But it was a choice of funding the A-10 or funding the F-35, they don’t get both. That’s the awful choice to make.
Since the procurement numbers of the F-22 were knocked down to nothing by the most ignorant SecDef in 30 years, Gates, we have no 5th generation capability going forward if keep the A-10. That’s the reality. (Gates was in Strategic Air Command for a short time as a junior officer, he didn’t do well at all and resigned in lieu of being kicked out, so when he became SecDef, his full-time commitment was to screw the Air Force at every turn.)
The liberal press has hated every military involvement and weapon system since Vietnam. Unfortunately, the Air Force has taken the Bush approach and chosen (or told to) not defend the F-35 in the press, so the only story you get is how awful it is, it can’t do anything, and will cost a trillion dollars (that figure is total fiction).
The headline is fine! It’s just what I chose to excerpt.
If you read the article, they sing the praises of the A-29 Super Tucano, a turbo-prop.
To my mind, the Thunderbolt (Jug) P-47 is the closest equivalent to an A-10. But IIRC, the A-10 isn’t really a WWII era design, but a 60s design.....maybe a doodle on the back of a napkin in the 50s....but I could be wrong - I am often.
rdl6989 ~ Agreed.
...and/or The Marines!
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