Or Pipers:
That's why the Marines have always provided their own. Often with aircraft long past their use-by date.
The Army would do well to do the same.
Once air supremacy is established, CAS can be provided by Cessnas.
These days, the USAF is a social club 'led' by a bunch of sissified pantywaist Generals. Close Air Support has never been "cool" enough and besides it might conflict with Happy Hour at the 'O' Club.
(Before you flame - I'm an AF Vet, and not at all proud of what has happened to the AF.)
F-35 cannon only has the bullets (well, cannon shells) to fire about 4 seconds from its on-board Gatling gun. Then it has to return to base (if NOT hit by AA fire!) to reload.
A pod-mounted Gatling is available, but isn’t flying yet (deployed) and has only another few seconds of ammo. A pod slows the aircraft and removes much of the stealth needed against ground-to-air missiles and other high-end aircraft.
Too many low-level attack planes in Vietnam (also ran by Pentagon “analysis” by McNamara’s “team” of experts ) were lost to “dumb” ground fire. The USAF generals don’t promote ground attack pilots, and so don’t have ground attack pilots in the Pentagon to argument the gee-whiz experts playing computer games against computer opponents.
If only the AF would give the Marines the A-10!
Low and slow with hundreds and hundreds of piercing bullets from an armored carrier is not an F35. IMO, it is a silk pony.
“Mindful of the aphorism ‘willful waste makes woeful want,’ the Marine Corps preserved its F-18s in the boneyard just in case it ever needed them again.”
Bravo Zulu, Marine Corps!
Maybe our country’s motto should be changed to “willful waste makes woeful want.”
I believe that the F-35 will eventually be a good platform (as the Abrams tank after years of scathing criticism) but it is going to take more time, effort, and money than they expect.
That said, destroying the A-10Cs sitting in the boneyard is CRIMINAL. Someone should be brought to task for that.
Or Pipers:
Bull ,remember Obama is still around with all his lies
Why not just turn the existing A-10’s over to the Army and Marines? They can provide their own CAS.
Too bad. The A-10 is a fearsome, awesome, fighting machine the ground troops can easily relate to.
It's still here after all these wars, years and beers, so I'm going to say "Yes".
Did the AV-8B replace the A-10? No. It did not.
Will the F-35 replace what the A-10 brings to any fight? No, it will not.
The F-35 might bring some quicker, but it won't replace what the A-10 is packing.
Can the A-10 do what the F-35 can do? No, it cannot.
The A-10 was not and is not fit for that duty and that is not in its job description.
So, why are we arguing?
A lot of people have a car and a pickup in their garage and I think there's room in our military's hanger for both the A-10 and the F-35.
It's always nice to have the right tool on hand for the job at hand, right?
So, why throw away a perfectly good tool like the A-10 and replace it with a shiny new one, when you can have both in your tool box and bag of tricks?
Obama’s military strategy is to deplete the military of all its technology and munitions.