Re: Pentagon To Scrap all 283 A-10s
Discussion
From elsewhere:
On Jan. 15, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James pointed out that the A-10 had conducted 11% of all sorties against IS since August, despite the fact it was not deployed to the battlefield until November.
But it may be shot down soon by the budget-cutters. The Pentagon figures it can save $4.2 billion in operation and maintenance costs over five years by retiring all 283 of the Air Force's A-10s. It also believes the F-35, despite its unit cost and troubled development, can fill the need for close air-support need. Whether it can take the punishment the A-10 can is open to question.
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/012315-73...
On Jan. 15, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James pointed out that the A-10 had conducted 11% of all sorties against IS since August, despite the fact it was not deployed to the battlefield until November.
But it may be shot down soon by the budget-cutters. The Pentagon figures it can save $4.2 billion in operation and maintenance costs over five years by retiring all 283 of the Air Force's A-10s. It also believes the F-35, despite its unit cost and troubled development, can fill the need for close air-support need. Whether it can take the punishment the A-10 can is open to question.
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/012315-73...
A shame, but thought this had been on the cards for a while.
I have a very vivid childhood memory of a pair of A-10s appearing out of the clouds right in front of us whilst flying past Bentwaters in a Cessna 182, just after the USAF approach controller had told us that there was no traffic likely to conflict.
I have a very vivid childhood memory of a pair of A-10s appearing out of the clouds right in front of us whilst flying past Bentwaters in a Cessna 182, just after the USAF approach controller had told us that there was no traffic likely to conflict.
I remember going to Bentwaters too on a Flight Safety day in the 80's, it covered near misses/avoidance of military aircraft and they showed some scary in cockpit videos of some collisions that had happened, one was a Hercules that had collided with (I think) a Phantom in the 'states and the video was cut into one second chunks first you see a dot on the horizon then a couple of seconds later "BAM" they collided. Had the opportunity to see a stripped down A10 and remember just how big that gun was (almost the full length of the fuselage) also sat in one as well as a Phantom that had been flown in by a UK airforce pilot. There was also a "live" fire demo from a low-level A10 over the other side of the airfield.
Its a shame as that buzz saw gun probably has a bigger physiological impact on the enemy than the threat of £30K missiles hitting them from over the horizon.
Admittedly using the A-10 down low probably is expensive on maintenance and does risk loosing aircrew more than standoff types of aircraft and weapons but they are currently fighting a dirty guerrilla style war against low tech infantry... logic says the relative low tech of the A-10 is ideally suited to ripping IS apart?
Eric is right about the Army vs Air force issue- after all this is essentially an airborne tank, where it belongs is abit dubious, IMO its an Army tool.
Admittedly using the A-10 down low probably is expensive on maintenance and does risk loosing aircrew more than standoff types of aircraft and weapons but they are currently fighting a dirty guerrilla style war against low tech infantry... logic says the relative low tech of the A-10 is ideally suited to ripping IS apart?
Eric is right about the Army vs Air force issue- after all this is essentially an airborne tank, where it belongs is abit dubious, IMO its an Army tool.
Mave said:
I think that counter logic is that even low tech IS with manpads poses too much threat to an A-10 so it tends to get used like any other fast jet.
^ThisYes it's iconic with a BFG but it's vulnerable. If it's safe to use it an attack helicopter is a much better option. If it's not something high and fast is a better option. Really dont get the love-in.
mebe said:
Mave said:
I think that counter logic is that even low tech IS with manpads poses too much threat to an A-10 so it tends to get used like any other fast jet.
^ThisYes it's iconic with a BFG but it's vulnerable. If it's safe to use it an attack helicopter is a much better option. If it's not something high and fast is a better option. Really dont get the love-in.
V8 Fettler said:
mebe said:
Mave said:
I think that counter logic is that even low tech IS with manpads poses too much threat to an A-10 so it tends to get used like any other fast jet.
^ThisYes it's iconic with a BFG but it's vulnerable. If it's safe to use it an attack helicopter is a much better option. If it's not something high and fast is a better option. Really dont get the love-in.
The A-10 has new wings and avionics. It's the ineptness of Politicians that has caused a financial crisis, forcing the USAF to cull whole fleets of aircraft. The Senate has stopped the USAF from doing so, so they're stuck with it for the moment. The F-16 and F-15 are ageing fast, so there is going to be a big fighter 'gap' in a few years.
Elroy Blue said:
The A-10 has new wings and avionics. It's the ineptness of Politicians that has caused a financial crisis, forcing the USAF to cull whole fleets of aircraft. The Senate has stopped the USAF from doing so, so they're stuck with it for the moment. The F-16 and F-15 are ageing fast, so there is going to be a big fighter 'gap' in a few years.
But the F35 solves every problem in every Air Force though right?onyx39 said:
Elroy Blue said:
The A-10 has new wings and avionics. It's the ineptness of Politicians that has caused a financial crisis, forcing the USAF to cull whole fleets of aircraft. The Senate has stopped the USAF from doing so, so they're stuck with it for the moment. The F-16 and F-15 are ageing fast, so there is going to be a big fighter 'gap' in a few years.
But the F35 solves every problem in every Air Force though right?mebe said:
V8 Fettler said:
mebe said:
Mave said:
I think that counter logic is that even low tech IS with manpads poses too much threat to an A-10 so it tends to get used like any other fast jet.
^ThisYes it's iconic with a BFG but it's vulnerable. If it's safe to use it an attack helicopter is a much better option. If it's not something high and fast is a better option. Really dont get the love-in.
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