[pierrem15]

Not so sure about that: it's an incredibly tough aircraft and is built to be able to be raked by 12.7mm (.50 cal) ammunition and still fly.

Some A10's in Iraq took incredible damage from ground fire and still flew.

[Yo-Yo]

Yes, the A-10 is built to be raked by .50 cal, and even some 20mm and keep on flying.

That is a permissible airspace.

It is not designed to absorb surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, or radar guided anti-aircraft artillery at the altitudes and airspeeds that the Warthog flies.

I’m not saying ditch the A-10. Quite the opposite, it is a very valuable aircraft that we need to keep for future use. It’s just not as effective for close air support in an impermissible airspace as a faster F-15 or B-2 armed with JDAMs.

The problem is the zoomie Generals think that JDAMs are the only answer, when that 30mm cannon in the A-10 is a more economical solution in many environments like Afghanistan.