Piper put a Lycoming turboprop in a P-51 but it wasn't adopted by the Air Force.
Piper PA-48 Enforcer.
Posted on 10/25/2018 9:05:55 AM PDT by C19fan
The US Army wants the F-35 to support its ground troops.
It’s that simple. We hear volumes of information about the Marine Corps vertical-take-off-and-landing F-35B, Navy carrier-launched F-35C and Air Force F-35A - but what does the Army think of the emerging Joint Strike Fighter?
Does the Army think the 5th-Gen stealth fighter would bring substantial value to targeting and attacking enemy ground forces in close proximity to advancing infantry? What kind of Close Air Support could it bring to high-risk, high-casualty ground war?
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalinterest.org ...
I wonder if articles like this are just click bait? The a-10 is so incredibly effective that it might one day have a longer tenure than the b52?
Machining and manufacturing technology have progressed so far, I bet there are dozens of US companies that could make a completed, updated, and working version within 12-18 months, based off 1957 blueprints.
And the A-10 can take a beating and keep on flying while the F35 if hit will not take that kind of punishment. Kind of like the P47 and the P51 in WWII. The P47 was the ideal tank killer with that air cooled engine which could take a beating, yet the P51 which was not air cooled was also thrown into the tank killing missions, where one well placed shot ended their engine.
Lots of bribes, in one form or another, will often get results...
When the Army Air Corps was spun off to form the USAF, they held a conference in Key West to hammer out the new division of responsibilities. One of the agreements was that the Army could have aviation assets, but only in reconnaissance and medivac roles. They had to create an exception to Key West to allow the Army to have attack helicopters. So the first obstacle to this plan is getting still another exception to Key West to allow the Army to operate armed fixed-wing aircraft.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West_Agreement
Piper put a Lycoming turboprop in a P-51 but it wasn't adopted by the Air Force.
Piper PA-48 Enforcer.
From your choices I would opt for the Skyraider.
I should also mention that the Army has lusted after the A-10 since it first drew breath because it is such a ferocious tank-killer, and when it first came out the Army was focused on fighting a tank-heavy war against the USSR and its puppets.
The Army ceaselessly rehearsed a close-air support mission that involved coordinating attack helicopter operations with A-10 strikes. So the Army knew as well as anyone what the A-10 brought to the battlefield that the AH-1 and later AH-64 lacked.
The Army reasoned that their coordination would be more seamless and the asset allocation would be better suited to their mission if they had absolute control over all CAS assets. Which, point of fact, is a bedrock principle of the USMC, which is the sole reason for the existence of the VERTOL F-35B (and the Av-8 before it).
But the USAF saw it as infringing on their turf so they put the kibosh on any move to amend Key West
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West_Agreement
So how does this fit in with the Light-Attack Aircraft which the USAF is planning on buying? https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/08/06/the-light-attack-aircraft-competition-will-be-down-to-two-competitors/
This doesn’t sound right. Just recently they decided to update the A-10 in order to keep it in the air another 20-25 years.
A radial engine requires high octane gasoline, which is a logistics nightmare and its flammability is not exactly what you want for a close ground support aircraft that is going to get into the weeds.
There's already modern equivalents that use turboprops, burning JP-4, just like the rest of the fleet. The A-29 Super Tucano is but one example.
The Air Force isn’t totally stupid all the time. Here, they might be paying attention to their pilots whose lives are at stake.
The A-10 has enjoyed operating in a theater in which we have 100% complete control of the air. Nonetheless we lost 16 in Operation Desert Shield in SW Asia. Some made it back to base before being written off - but 6 were shot down outright. Our patriot pilots are willing to take risks supporting ground warriors, but if the F-35 is significantly safer, the costs of pilots enters the equation. Not counting whatever value is placed on their lives.
In a theater where we control the air perhaps in say an 85% - 15%,then the risks go up exponentially.
Roger that. People really have no idea what a game changer the F-35 will be. Each of them is essentially a JSTARS that can destroy air and ground targets and remain stealthy.
Which will be more effective: The familiar zipper sound of the A-10 GAU, flying so low the BGs can shoot back and knock holes in it, or sudden death raining mysteriously from the sky in the form of SDBs? Obviously the latter. With a few such engagements, the BGs will want to avoid contact with our forces altogether.
I left out the part about "those people" always get really pissed off when you call them on their bullsh*t little game.
Yes is your answer then.
I do not believe this for one second.
Stealth is not needed for CAS. Control of the skies will have already been established.
But, with superior sensors, superior payload, superior targeting...range...it’s far more effective than the A-10 in that role.
The F-35 doesn’t even have to go low and slow. It can do that job loitering at 15,000 ft.
As for stopping the advance of armor...NO CONTEST. None.
Exactly what I was going to say. I have very close relatives in the sand and in the mud, and they love the A-10. The only problem with that aircraft is it doesn't bring enough jobs to key congressional districts. Otherwise it's the perfect platform for its mission. Those who advocate something expensive and delicate instead of a robust platform that delivers are traitors.
The warthog totes 20k lbs worth of stuff ; has advanced weapons cap and can hangout above for hours, how does the 35 stack up?
We all know how the F-35 stacks up next to an air-to-ground wonder.
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.