In 1989, I was working for Hughes Aircraft Company and was invited to watch part of a demonstration of what they called, “The A-16 Close Air Support Demonstration.” They painted six F-16’s O.D. color to match what A-10’s looked like then. They added Pave Penny pods and a 30mm gun pod. This started at Nellis AFB in the summer and the desert was so hot, they couldn’t get a D Maverick off. They went to Fort Hood TX and the 30 mm gun pod didn’t work well either. At Nellis, I got to be out on the range with two General Dynamics cameramen. Their cameras had lens about a foot and a half long. They would radio, “bring up the helicopters” and from behind this mountain a whole bunch of helicopters rose. Then they would say, “bring up the jets” and the F-16s would come flying around this other mountain dropping flares. The end result was that the F-16 would not replace the A-10. I attended the final briefing at Langley AFB. I think I still have a video tape of the event that ends with the words, “Think A-16.”
To avoid the retirement of the A-10 aircraft, which of the following available alternative options are you going to select?
1. further deferments of the F-35 procurement contracts
2. retirement of one-third or 350 of the F-16 air superiority fighter aircraft which represent the largest number of our fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft
3. retirement of the entire force of long-range B-1 Lancer strategic bombers
4. retirement of a substantial fraction of the remaining F-15 air superiority fighter force
5. retirement of a substantial fraction of the ISR and air mobility aircraft needed to transport and supply the armed forces
6. retirement of a large fraction of the force of air refueling tanker aircraft which are already long past their service lives and inadequate in their current numbers
7. retirement of significant numbers of the command and control aircraft