“How does stealth help you when you are just whacking ISIS bastards with no aircover? For that you want cheap, slow flying, bullet proof bomb and bullet trucks.”
No you don’t “want cheap, slow flying, bullet proof bomb and bullet trucks”. You want ordinance accurately hitting the targets (designated by troops, drone or fast-mover), without the aircraft getting hit.
Helicopters, drones and strike aircraft (F-15, F-16 and F-18) all fill that role nicely.
“We’ve put all our eggs in one very expensive basket.”
Hardly.
And what is stopping an A10 from using precision weapons?
At one third to one fifth the price we could flood the zone.