A-10 vs. F-35 fly-off may begin next year. What plane will come out on top?

I predict that the rules of the exercise will be set up to favor the F-35 but the A-10 will still come out on top. At least until the Air Force brass reads the results backwards upside down in a mirror and claims the F-35 Joint Budget Destroyer somehow came out on top.

Just like when they put the F-35 up against the F-16 and it got it's ass handed to it.

Regardless of the results, I think anyone that has seen the A-10 in action will side with that aircraft. There is no better sound then hearing one coming in for a run when you are in a bad place.

In close ground support roll nothing will beat the A-10. The plane was designed around a gun with every thought by Fairchild with the purpose in killing people and equipment on the ground. The F-35 was designed to be a Swiss army knife. It is designed to do a bunch of things good, but not able to do any one thing exceptional. The A-10 is a chainsaw. It has one job and it does that job better than anything else out there. The only exception I would think that the F-35 would excel in is survivability from surface to air missiles because of the stealth built into it.

Then there is the human factor. A-10 guys only purpose in life is to help troops on the ground. They live and breath ground support. F-35 pilots got a ton to do to fill a multi-roll aircraft driver roll.

The F-35 is so far behind in testing and is no where near ready to actually drop a bomb on anything. I would put money on the thing will not be ready for a flyoff with a Cessna by next year.