In related news, the military is now discontinuing the use of hammers and wrenches because they are based on an old design.
Nope.
The KC-135 is also older than the A-10.
I remember watching A10s and F4s practice drills in the skies over Austin, TX during the build up to Desert Storm. That A10 was something to watch! And the sound ... must’ve been quite a scare to Saddam’s forces during the strikes.
Tough aircraft too! Those things can take a beating and still fly.
You’re doing better with your excerpts.
But paragraphs are your firend.
< p >
(without the spaces)
The 35 is designed to do everything but, as with all such platforms, will do nothing so well as mission dedicated platforms would do and probably not so well as its probably future opponents in the air and on the ground. Once the 22s and 16s are retired the likelihood of our aircraft actually being tested in the air rises sharply.
0bama probably wants to give them to local federalized police departments. Soon police pilot wants ads will appear.
I can see them being used at protest rallies as a show of force. They could even spray some poisons over the crowds, although I would envision this mission given to the drones.
Sadness at the “Death of the A-10.”
They wil be collected and moth-balled at Davis-Montham AFB Arizona I’m sure.
The A-10 was too good at killing the enemy, so 0bama had to get rid of it. Also, it wasn’t sleek shiny and fast, so the AF “Fighter Jock” Generals never wanted or liked it.
“The F-35 is the new F-16”
Thrust to weight, F16 1.095, F-35 Moonpig .87
Wing loading, F16 .87, F-35 Moonpig 107.7
Speed, F16 Mach2, F-35 Moonpig Mach 1.6
Armament F15 511 rounds of 20mm
F-35 Moonpig 180 rounds of 25mm,
So yeah, other than top speed, acceleration, turning rate and climb rate and around a third of the ammo. Its totally an F-16.
The F-35 is far less of a fighter OR attack aircraft than the F-16 from the late 70s.
1 Z-class destroyer = 20 Aegis-class destroyers in terms of cost
2 F-35 = the entire fleet of A-10s (about 350)
1 Advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle = 4 German Pumas (besides which it has zero strategic mobility and tactical mobility is limited by its massive weight)
Our military procurement system is a threat to the future of the country. Perhaps it has been infiltrated.
Something that tries to do EVERYTHING, usually ends up doing nothing well.
Funny, at the time I was more afraid of getting lit up by one of them in my '89 GMC than anything the Iraqis had.
“If saving soldier’s lives on the battlefield is the goal, then the A-10’s end is premature.”
It’s not the goal, sadly.
It appears that the Pentagon brass are attempting to do the same thing to the F-35 as they did to the F-15. If I understand it correctly, the F-35 won't even have an operational gun for several years. How can that be an effective ground support aircraft?
So basically, the movie Man of Steel, where they shoot up the bad guys with an A-10 Warthog is no longer possible? Thanks a lot for nothing!!!
My history instructor at OCS flew A-10’s and F-117’s. He wouldn’t stop talking about the A-10’s.
I remember it like it was only yesterday when in 1966, the U.S. Air Force made the U.S. Army disarm our OV-1 Mohawks and promised the U.S. Air Force would provide any future close air support the Army might need.
I usually go to the source not only for the article but to read the responses of the general public (Freepers are above and beyond for the most part and I find it keeps me in the know about how others think), so, for those of us who love reading about experiences with the A-10 there are some good ones there, however, the most heart-wrenching for me was an example of how our boots are being screwed by the establishment written by Scott Tomaszycki.