I have no formal military background, but study military history and equipment. I have numerous friends with deep military backgrounds.
We all agree: replacing A-10s CAS planes with B-1B SBs is just plain nonsensical — or rather just plain stupid AND crazy.
Heh; I had to re-look them both up on Wiki just to make sure I wasn’t watching the wrong videos on Military Channel for years. Losing the A-10 is a huge mistake.
PGM’s like LGBs, JDAMs and SDB can do the CAS role well.
It is the delivery of ordnance close to friendlies that defines CAS.
Why fly low and get shot at by all the gomers with a gun when you can fly at medium altitude and deliver the same ordnance with the same accuracy.
Flying low is a cool airshow but altitude is driven by many factors, ordnance type, weather and the A/A threat.
I am a former FAC with the 1-01st and a former A-10 driver, so my heart is in CAS, I know the mission. I prefer A-10’s because they can stay around the tgt-area long enough to affect the battle, and the gun gives them a huge punch, either from a 12,000’ high altitude strafe run or 12,000 slant-range low altitude run. The B-1s were either dropping unguided and did not tgt the area correctly, or they dropped JDAMs and had the wrong GPS coords programmed. Don't know.