OPINION: Why US Air Force needs a low-cost gun-slinger

FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL ^ | Aug 05, 2016

[maddog55]

Read up on the OV-10 Combat Dragon II..

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/ov-10-broncos-were-sent-to-fight-isis-and-they-kicked-a-1764407068

[Doogle]

....just hope the A-10’s hold out the longest....
so effective

[glock rocks]

http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/502897/a-29-super-tucano-arrives-at-moody-afb.aspx

[Jimmy Valentine]

It seems to me that the A-10 is all around a better weapon than the Tucano. Why discard a great weapon for a lesser?

[R. Scott]

I loved the Skyraider. Long hang time, heavy weapons load and could take a beating.

[sukhoi-30mki]

The Super Tucano is significantly smaller than the A-10 and has visibly lower operating costs per hour and is designed for more austere operating environments. So you save up a lot in life-cycle costs and (in theory) would be able to fly more missions.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Understood. It does have a lower profile as does the Cessna. How rugged is it I wonder.

[Moonman62]

It seems to me that the A-10 is all around a better weapon than the Tucano. Why discard a great weapon for a lesser?

...

It’s difficult to rip off the taxpayer with either one.

[sukhoi-30mki]

It’s not meant for the same role as the A-10; it’s a misfit outside of the “low threat” environment.

[Moonman62]

Why not have both?

[Vaquero]

No more military weapons till after the election. We keep arming the Dhimmicrats

[taildragger]

Yes this is good, however I'd look for something beyond Turboprops with better specific fuel consumption that still burns the JP fuels. They are not here yet in this HP category. More R & D needed, but longer range and or greater loiter times would be fantastic from these powerplants if they get into this power class and mature...

http://www.heavy-fuel-engines.com/heavy-fuel-engine/

This one would need a "bespoke" multi-rotor version:

http://www.aieuk.com/650cs-120bhp-wankel-rotary-engine/

[Doogle]

Odungo with muzzie pressure... it’s very effective and deadly....it’s too good

[Spktyr]

They also don’t make A-10s and more and all the tooling was destroyed by order of Congress. We can make new wings for it thanks to Boeing recently painstakingly (read: expensively) creating new wings and the related tooling.

[Spktyr]

Er, they don’t make A-10s any more, even.

[fella]

"Why discard a great weapon for a lesser?"

Campaign contributions and other kickbacks.

[theBuckwheat]

Stalin is quoted as saying that “quantity has a quality all its own.” Another route to fill the need we have is mass production of a capable model of drone.

[Daniel Ramsey]

I have a pretty good feeling Trump will put a lot of attention upon the A10 and its survival.

[HombreSecreto]

Change article title from US Air Force to US Army...