Posted on 08/04/2016 6:18:44 AM PDT by Mariner
The U.S. Marine Corps, tired of waiting for the continuously-delayed F-35B, has gone to the Arizona boneyard to retrieve some of its preserved, first-edition F-18 Hornets to fulfill its close air support obligation to protect Marines on the ground.
Mindful of the aphorism “willful waste makes woeful want,” the Marine Corps preserved its F-18s in the boneyard just in case it ever needed them again.
The U.S. Air Force, not feeling a similar obligation to protect U.S. Army soldiers on the ground and arguing that the F-35A can perform close air support as well as the A-10 Warthog can do, is now claiming it cannot afford the A-10s because it needs the money to support the forthcoming F-35A.
With a mentality reminiscent of Vietnam thinking — “We had to destroy the village to protect it!” — the Air Force is dismantling some of its stored A-10s.
Even the warning from the popular musical Hamilton — “Don’t throw away your shot!” — is not enough to get the Air Force to reflect on the possibility the thin-skinned F-35A might not be up to the job of getting down low and slow to save soldiers’ lives.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalinterest.org ...
The thing that always grabs me about military aircraft is when the throw away the dies so nobody can build anymore of them.
If you built an airplane perhaps another country forty years from now might want fifty of them. Oh so sorry, we can’t build anymore of those.
The Army needs to get the CAS mission and take over the A-10s.
The Army needs to get the CAS mission and take over the A-10s.
The Army needs to get the CAS mission and take over the A-10s.
That needed repeating my friend. The grunts on the ground know the A-10 and the Apache will save their butts if it gets bad as will Specter, the baddest of the bad for the bad guys.
Splitting the Air Force off from the Army after WWII was politics played by the Generals. This was a horrible error.
One of my favorites. Actually got some time in A-37’s.
Flies like a 150, just faster.
Also know as Dragonflies or TweetyBirds.
It is extremely robust relative to ground fire. However, with the turbines mounted aft it can not handle high G Forces. Landing on a carrier is a high G force event. Multiple landings on a carrier would weaken the Air Frame.
Ah! That makes sense! Thank you...
Obama’s military strategy is to deplete the military of all its technology and munitions.
If only the AF would give the Marines the A-10!
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How are they going to waste taxpayer money doing that?
Retired generals like to take jobs at defense contractors.
Sure. I see exactly the point you make, I used to be involved in military aviation, so I understand the point you make.
I think the gist of the article is that there are entities in and out of the US Air Force that would prefer to see the bridges burned so there is no way back to it. I believe it is possible that it may be true, even if I don’t believe anyone has actually acted on it in this fashion.
If anyone HAS approved the destruction of the refurbished airframes without those caveats you mentioned, I believe that is not just wrong and wasteful, but harmful to our national security.
I do agree, though...a “few” is not defined, and may be intentionally so to increase the impact of the article. (FWIW, I can believe that many of the A-10A variants are probably eligible to be destroyed for a variety of reasons)
Sad because it is one of the few planes now in the inventory that must be flown instead of "managed". And, it is perfect for the mission it has been called to do. Few post WWII designs can make that claim.
BTW, I think Warthogs and C-130s should be immortal. Every time I go by Davis Monthan I am nearly driven to tears when I see the tails of the C-130s. Just a few weeks ago I counted I would guess 400.
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