Yup..
Air Force generals hate it. Grunts love it.
notice how the “cost savings” figure keeps creeping up. Earlier estimates were at $3 billion, now it’s $4.5 billion.
Yup..
The USAF had better give some love to any airplane that flies since they AGS but a handfull of F-22s, some worn out F-15s and F-16s and early production run F-35s that can’t fly WAS.
The USN on the other hand has quite a few F-18s that still sort of smell new.
That is largely a myth that has repeated on and off by the media for 20+ years.
The truth is most Air Force generals and officers love the aircraft and completely understand its role is Close Air Support (CAS). The Air Force Chief of Staff (a 4 star), Mark Welsh, flew the A-10 and has spoken highly of the aircraft in every Congressional testimony.
Here is the ugly truth (one the American people largely refuse to accept) - the US military has been decimated by massive budget cuts (on top of Sequestration cuts as well) and unless Congress and the American people demand that it stops then the military simply cannot do everything that is asked of it.
The only way for the Air Force to come even close to "paying its bill" for the next 8 years of Sequestration cuts is to cut entire fleets of aircraft. Onesey Twosey cuts do not achieve the "savings" that Congress and Obama have demanded through sequestration.
But most Americans simply don't really care. They have their entitlement checks and EBT - and they don't want those cut.
The A10 has such a slow stall speed that upon landing it looks like it’s just hanging there.
A truly amazing bird built like a tank.
The Air Force would be foolish and irresponsible to mothball those birds.
And enemies fear it that alone makes worth the keep.