The Bluntyheads want to replace the A10 with the F35 ...

[dogtag]

for Close Air Support ???
I still maintain the F35 is a pile of junk. How could it possibly
perform close air support without probably killing own Troops ?
As the tests prove, The Warthog wins hands down.
If they want to scrap anything, then scrap the F35.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/12/14/fredenburg-a-10-warthog-ndaa-f35-close-air-support/

[Art]

One problem is the age of the aircraft. The last A-10 was produced 39 years ago. Unlike us, our adversaries tend to keep stuff in production until they have an actual replacement. The Soviet era Su 25 has a similar role and similar technology, was introduced at about the same time and was only taken out of production six years ago after its replacement, the Su 34 multi role strike fighter was already in Russian service. The Russians intend to keep the old (though as far as production goes not as old as the A 10) Su 25 in service for the foreseeable future.

We, on the other hand, have been trying to cobble together some sort of replacement for the ageing A-10 fleet for a couple of decades by repurposing other aircraft, first the F-16 and now the F-35 which the USAF seems to want to use as a one size fits all for nearly everything. We should have come up with a suitable replacement or kept the A-10 in production and of course did neither.

[barretcreek]

Friend who was a rotor wing test and evaluation pilot says the A-10 is DOA in a current generation environment. Great against Kalashnikovs but not MiGs. His 2c.

But the zoomies won't let Army Aviation have real CAS planes.

[dogtag]

The Warthog would need fighter protection
while it did it's work.