[volunbeer]

Nothing can replace the A-10 IMO (a former Army grunt)

The A-10 is much better suited to close air support with air supremacy than any fast jet in the inventory or entering the inventory.

It's armor, efficiency, and ability to loiter over a target area for a long time allowing a pilot to self-acquire targets cannot be duplicated in a mega-million dollar jet.

The cannon on the A-10 is also a much more affordable alternative to destroying small mobile targets than horribly expensive smart bombs.

It makes strategic, tactical, and economic sense to maintain the A-10 program for years to come.

[SoldierDad]

I agree with your assessment, and hope for the sake of our ground forces we don't phase out the A-10

[jazusamo]

I'll never forget the photo of an A-10 that a pilot flew back to base in Saudi Arabia and landed safely in the Gulf War that was literally shot to pieces. How it kept flying was a real mystery but it did.

[Iris7]

I also have great affection for the A-10. Grumman design at it's most rugged and practical.

Helicopters are OK but fixed wing ground attack has inherent engineering advantages. I don't think that our people at the sharp end on the ground should have anything less than the best air support possible.

I am certain that the A-10 can be improved. Even though the machine is an older design, however, improvement is hard to imagine clearly. It depends somewhat on how anti A-10 weapons evolve.

An interesting ground attack approach is Burt Rutan's Ares
Scaled Composite's ARES


designed for maintenance in the field and to fly from two lane asphalt. The specification was developed by the US Army. This design is dated now also but has possibilities. The asymmetric design keeps gun recoil in line with center of drag and thrust and aircraft frontal area down. The GAU-30 puts out so much propellant gases that it was a problem to keep the engines running on burnt powder fumes instead of air and the Rutan concept keeps engine air intake and muzzle gases on either side of the aircraft.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Love the HOG. it will be damn hard to replace except by another HOG.The f-35 in ground attack would be like a greyhound in a gogfight.

[Fred Hayek]

The A-10 is the perfect fit for its designed mission.

[Old Student]

"Nothing can replace the A-10 IMO "

I agree. I never maintained or flew one, but I did do OTD&E work on them as a photographer at Eglin in the mid-60's. Wonderful airframe, and an absolutely awesome weapons system.