Basically, a flying tank. Not sexy enough for the Air Force brass, but the Army and Marines must love the sound of that 30mm Gatling. Its WWII grandfather was the P-47 Thunderbolt. There are stories of Luftwaffe fighters running out of ammunition trying to bring one down and the pilots ending up flying alongside and saluting. It was replaced in the bomber escort role with the P-51 Mustang, but as a heavily armored ground attack plane it was unmatched. Just like Junior.
Air Force brass don’t get cushy, high paying jobs with Boeing, Raytheon or Lockheed after retirement by buying spare parts for a 45 year old plane.
The brass gets these jobs for shepherding a new highly profitable plane through the procurement process.