Posted on 07/22/2025 6:46:09 AM PDT by Red Badger
To some degree that is already happening, the Ukrainian Drones that took out the Russian Strategic Bombers deep inside Russia supposedly had an AI type of intelligence, they were programmed to look for a particular type of plane and where to hit the plane to permanently disable it.
Agree. Not enough high ranking Warthog drivers. The Air Force is run by the fast moving fighter pilots.
Coke? In the 8oz cans.
The badass quotient would drop to zero, though
Was climbing Mount Washington years ago and spotted a couple A-10s screeching around the peaks and through the narrow valleys - pretty cool sight and sound on a cloudless, silent afternoon in New Hampshire.
doubt that, mah
nice try tho
Anyone who says this has no understanding of basic combined forces doctrine. First establish air superiority. Then put in CAS. The CAS doesn’t need stealth. It needs to be able to loiter, take hits, and wipe out enemy ground forces esp armor. The A-10 still fits that bill.
One has to wonder if those old Warthogs will be coming out of retirement eventually.
I *like* that idea!!!
Are you still fighting the last war?
They need to evaluate its utility as a drone interceptor. And while they talk about “near-peer” they seem to be ignoring homeland defense. Wolverines!!!
If that is true, then attack helicopters are even more obsolete because they also lack any stealth component, but also are much less durable, and more likely to be taken out by a drone.
But I believe the truth is that while that may be true in high-intensity conflicts against near peer adversaries equipped with large numbers of anti-aircraft drones in a particular area, it's a real stretch to assume that will be all or even most combat situations.
Drones capable of taking out an airplane are much more expensive and sophisticated than those that attack ground targets.
Their ideal is to provide close air support from space.
Didn’t the US just spend a fortune updating the A10?
I’ve been joking about Terminators and Skynet are real, I think the future of warfare, will be a distributed network of AI based supercomputers, monitoring millions of data points, everything from video feeds, phone calls, encrypted messages, emails, etc....while controlling potentially millions of weapon systems.
It may not happen in 5-10 years but in reality, Terminators and Skynet is not that far away.
“Send in the Hogs”. Best scene in any Transformer movie was the A-10s and an AC-130 taking on Scorponok.
BRAVE AI:
US A10 Upgrade Cost
As of July 22, 2025, the U.S. Air Force has indeed invested significantly in upgrading the A-10 Thunderbolt II over the past decade, including cockpit modernization, new weapons integration, and survivability enhancements.
However, despite these investments, the Air Force is now proceeding with the full retirement of the A-10 fleet by the end of FY2026, indicating that the upgrades were intended to extend the aircraft’s service life only temporarily.
Key upgrades included:
Installation of the Lightweight Airborne Recovery System (LARS) V-12 to improve communication for combat search and rescue missions.
Integration of guided ordnance like the AGR-20 APKWS rockets and enhanced night vision capabilities.
A major wing replacement program under the TUSK initiative, allowing the aircraft to remain operational until around 2035 if needed.
Despite these improvements, the A-10 is being phased out due to its vulnerability in modern combat environments and the strategic shift toward more advanced, stealth-capable platforms like the F-35.
Some A-10s were initially slated to remain in service beyond 2026, but the final decision has moved forward the retirement timeline.
Famed Stuka pilot Hans Ulrich-Rudel was a consultant in the development of the A-10. Him being an unrepentant Nazi did not matter when NATO was facing potentially thousands of tanks heading to the Rhine.
AGAIN???
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