[Nowhere Man]

I know a better way to save money. Abolish the Air Force and give its planes to the Army, Navy and Marines.

BTW, the Air Force was part of the Army in World War II. Come to think of it, the first U.S. satellite to orbit the Earth used a rocket built by the U.S. Army, IIRC.

[okie01]

the first U.S. satellite to orbit the Earth used a rocket built by the U.S. Army, IIRC.

You recall correctly. The first successful U.S. satellite was launched by a U.S. Army Jupiter rocket.

[Kenny Bunk]

Abolish the Air Force and give its planes to the Army, Navy and Marines.

According to the terms of

The 1948 Treaty of Key West
Who Gets What Flying Toys

The Army may not use armed fixed wing aircraft. They are limited to helicopters and liaison aircraft. Army paratroopers? Dropped from AF planes. The Navy and Marines cannot use AF planes because AF Planes don't have sturdy enough airframes and landing gear (i.e., heavy) to land on carriers.

The USAF has never been truly enthusiastic about Close Air Support. That's because it is usually best done with slow, very maneuverable, heavily armed, and armored airplanes with straight wings that get shot at a lot. Think. Who's going to get the pretty blonde cheerleader? The sweaty bald guy in the dump truck, or the dude in the Corvette.

The A-10 has always been an embarrassment to the USAF because it is slow, ugly, relatively cheap and has accomplished thousands of successful sorties. The F-35 is slow and ugly, but incredibly expensive, and has yet to find a mission that it can actually accomplish successfully. It has a wonderful PR and Sales Campaign. The glossy brochures and the animated PowerPoints are (or were) leading to great overseas sales.... then the buyers started wising up. Even the Canadians are having second thoughts ... and the Australians ... and the Italians (who now figured out that they can afford maybe two ... by the year 2035 when this puppy is ready for production.

[Colorado Doug]

BTW, the Air Force was part of the Army in World War II. Come to think of it, the first U.S. satellite to orbit the Earth used a rocket built by the U.S. Army, IIRC.

It was the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps that did the flying in WWI also.