The gun would seem to be there to support ground troops (missiles for dogfights). The A-10 likely performs the ground support mission in better fashion.
I suspect drones will make the A-10 obsolete. But there is and never was and never will be a superior ground support aircraft. And all these people who wet their pants worrying about “swarming” Iranian patrol boats should consider the scenario of one A-10 vs. the entire Iranian Navy.
I’ve heard that because the F-35 has small wings it has to keep flying at a higher velocity to stay in the air. That makes it hard to support ground troops. It also burns up fuel so it can’t stay around long.
The A-10 can loiter for hours over an area and take its time... with a very big gun to shoot.
The gun would seem to be there to support ground troops (missiles for dogfights). The A-10 likely performs the ground support mission in better fashion.
History has shown that a gun is a vital component of air to air combat and that guns get used more often than the Pentagon planners assume.