Posted on 12/22/2016 11:25:10 AM PST by StormPrepper
Check the video at this link. John McCain earning his pay at the hearings for phasing out the A-10.
"The B1 Bomber will now be used for close air support? This is why we can't take you seriously..."
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
I’ve been on the ground and extremely thankful for A-10 support. The presence of the A-10 flying low diverts fire to them, and that 30mm Gatling is devastating.
I can’t believe the punishment the A-10 can take and still make it home. And those pilots, both men and women, have some real stones. This is still a very valid and needed machine.
This has been an interesting and educational discussion in spite of the various gratuitous insults hurled here and there.
When a person loses their credibility, it no longer matters what they say or do unless they address sincerely and completely the cause of that loss, and then they are restored only if the community around them, and in this case the voting public, allow for that restoration.
McCain is a liar and a conniver. It does not matter at all what he says now. He is not and never will be the right messenger for any public activity.
I think McCain went too soft on Sec. James. She is an idiot. The General is an idiot for inserting his nose into the discussion. The point was that the B-1 is not a CAS aircraft. Just because they did some “close interdiction” in an permissive environment doesn’t mean they can pick up the CAS load in a non-permissive environment. The A-10 needs to be straight lined until there is a real replacement. And just because the F-16 and F-15E is being used in this role for the war on terror, doesn’t mean that they will not be used for higher priority missions and leave CAS unserviced. The Air Force and the Army have a hard deal that the Air Force provides a certain amount of dedicated CAS aircraft. I have the possible answer, but it will take time. They need to find the savings in the non-operational side of the house.
Defending foolishness only makes you look like a fool.
So when you call for close air support, do you plan it out ahead of time so the planes can be scheduled in advance? Or do you need it NOW, cause the firefight will most likely be over before the long range aircraft get there?
The only CAS mission benefit of the F-16 and F-15E is time to get on location. They still do not replace the A-10.
Yep, with modern munitions, it is no longer necessary to fly at tree-top level to provide CAS. We are using A-10s, B-1s, B-52s, F-15Es, F-16s, and F-18s for close air support.
A-10s comnprise only 20% of CAS.
I’m no fan of McCain, but he’s right on this one. No way should the A-10 be replaced, not the least of which is with the B1. Fighter jets don’t fit the bill either.
Debbie James is the one who needs to be mothballed. Can’t Trump put someone competent in there?
The B-1B with several dozen JDAMs of sizes from 500lb to 2000lb can cover a lot of battle space.
Especially if also equipped with anti-armor cluster bombs.
One could likely do the work of a full squadron of A-10s.
From 50,000 feet.
Don’t you just love the sound of the 30mm cannon? ;)
Close Air Support from 30,000 feet is possible these days.
The problem is that technology will take away that advantage.
If they can develop technology that can detect and destroy an RPG approaching a tank, then the technology to detect and destroy a bomb is not far behind.
Low level CAS will be harder to defeat.
Yes, but that is not the only so called CAS mission. The first week in IRAQ, it worked, after that , not so much. That is the point.
Which mission could a bomber not support from up high with precision weapons?
Time to target? - Already over the battle space.
Dug in enemy? - JDAMs work just fine for that.
I have not been at any element of CAS, so I’m asking not baiting.
“With a ton of loiter time, a Sniper pod,…”
Had to look that one up, I was thinking a sniper inside some type of pod. But no it is a pod that has FLIR, HDTV, laser designator, tracker and marker.
Huh?
We need to keep the A10-period.
Do you know that the King Air is one of the most effective airframes to locate the enemy? Did you even know we use King Airs in the AOR?
‘Just because they did some “close interdiction” in an permissive environment doesn’t mean they can pick up the CAS load in a non-permissive environment. The A-10 needs to be straight lined until there is a real replacement.’
In a non-permissive environment, any A-10s in the area would quickly become smoking holes in the ground. That was expected even in the 70’s when MANPADs were far less effective.
Attack helos are a better option for “traditional” CAS than the A-10. They don’t need runways, are a lot better at “low and slow”, are better at avoiding collateral damage, and they pack plenty of punch.
B-1s and other “bomb trucks” can also deliver precision munitions including the 250 lb. small diameter bomb to spots designated by ground troops - while remaining well above the altitude necessary to avoid most AA assets. They also carry a heck of a lot more munitions than the A-10 and have better loiter time.
The YouTube video is from 2014, not from the most recent Congressional hearings on the A-10. :)
“Don’t you just love the sound of the 30mm cannon? ;)”
I love the sound of the A-10, the cannon and what the cannon does. The sound of the A-10 means help is here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.