Why in the heck are we still pouring billions into this plane’s development? It has some serious capabilities but it also has many serious flaws including the price per unit. Trials have not been impressive prompting one journalist to sarcastically say that the only thing that cannot shoot down the F-35 is a Cessna 135.
Given that we can produce 10 or more A-10s for the cost of one F-35, I’ll take the Warthogs.
Different missions.
I love the A-10, but it performs well at a specific mission, and can only do so after fast-movers and other asset clear ADA and SAM from the battlespace.
Replacing one with the other, either way, is a mistake.
The F-35 payoff is in the EXPORT. As with the F-16, this program is heavily focused on foreign customers.