Posted on Feb 28, 2023
Should Congress leave the Ground Forces exposed at and level, or should it continue maintaining, building better "flying tanks"?
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They are decommissioning great air coverage, trashing the Army & Marine warriors' angels.
"There is no conversation ever that any aircraft can truly and effectively replace the A-10, even after all these years," Flynn added.
Sure, the F-35 is a beast, but it's not functional-built, any more than the F-15 Strike Eagle was, as a close-quarters air-ground cover for the troops. And, the AH-64 may be the only out for those troopers, but it's never going to be an RAH-66 Comanche, which could seek in quickly, and escape, as needed.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-us-air-force-is-finally-getting-rid-of-its-a-10s-and-its-focus-may-be-straying-from-the-warthog-s-unique-mission/ar-AA182cmB?cvid=ecd6efbfdcf64006d7a9ccd56be1ebc9&ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&ei=4
"There is no conversation ever that any aircraft can truly and effectively replace the A-10, even after all these years," Flynn added.
Sure, the F-35 is a beast, but it's not functional-built, any more than the F-15 Strike Eagle was, as a close-quarters air-ground cover for the troops. And, the AH-64 may be the only out for those troopers, but it's never going to be an RAH-66 Comanche, which could seek in quickly, and escape, as needed.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-us-air-force-is-finally-getting-rid-of-its-a-10s-and-its-focus-may-be-straying-from-the-warthog-s-unique-mission/ar-AA182cmB?cvid=ecd6efbfdcf64006d7a9ccd56be1ebc9&ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&ei=4
Warfare
Troops
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 9
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The A-10 is the absolute best CAS aircraft in the world, slow enough to properly ID targets, loiters for really long times, takes a beating and still flies home, a 30mm gun eats tanks, and packs enough firepower to decimate battalion of armor. Also, their pilots are not top gun jockey's zooming around at 600K looking for dog fights!
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SGM Bill Frazer
Look, I have used the A-10 and AC-130, and been strafed by a trigger-happy USN A-7, missed his target but sure tore up our CP, people WIA and KIA. Both A-10/ AC130 are not perfect, but they do hit what they aim it. Contrary to popular belief 1st echelon troops do not often have all the assets of JADM, attack helos, etc. Look at Abn Troops, you 1st have to get an airport to get heavier support in. Ain't no BB's anymore and danger close for Cruisers is about 1 kM. When you are pinned down by anything with any kind of armor, you are in a hurt. You cant trust navy jocks to do the CAS, only the Marines, and they are still flying pretty fast.
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PFC Edgar Mosier, Congress is only approving a request by the Air Force. The Air Force does't see this specific CAS platform fitting in with their mission set within the NDS.
Ground forces are never "exposed". We have plenty of fires options outside of the A-10. And we don't get to choose the platform when we call for air support.
For my money, JDAM, arty, and helicopters are the best tools for a given situation. I don't recall any situations where an A-10 would have solved the problem better or quicker than the other three.
Will I miss the BRRRRRRRT!? Sure, but I wouldn't want to be an A10 pilot dodging SA missiles and AA platforms on a run in a peer/near peer conflict.
Ground forces are never "exposed". We have plenty of fires options outside of the A-10. And we don't get to choose the platform when we call for air support.
For my money, JDAM, arty, and helicopters are the best tools for a given situation. I don't recall any situations where an A-10 would have solved the problem better or quicker than the other three.
Will I miss the BRRRRRRRT!? Sure, but I wouldn't want to be an A10 pilot dodging SA missiles and AA platforms on a run in a peer/near peer conflict.
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SGM Mikel Dawson
CSM, you are spot on. I did get to see an A-10 at its finest. The Apache is good, but I was there when they got taken out of action by ground fire, the 11th was put "combat ineffective" on that mission. JDAM, arty are very good as long as you have a good FAC who knows what he is doing.
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PFC Edgar Mosier
Respectfully, CSM; Would you have wanted to be there with LTC Moore, when he called in that CAS, in 1965 during the Battle of Ia Drang?
Truthfully and respectfully, I'd love to see where we'd be if we had developed laser equipment, deployable, much as Reagan's Star Wars Initiative would have wrought, after all, we know what those spying lens can determine.
I read a story, about the same time I read the SRA's story of LTC Moore's action, concerning a Chinese inventor that sold plans for one weapon to the emperor, then explained he had developed a unit to defeat it. He sold that plan to the emperor. He, then, explained that he had another invention to defeat the new defensive weapon - that piece of paper sold to the emperor, too. When the fine-minded soul offered yet drawn plan for another system to defeat, the emperor understood that this was now a "best"-ing deal, so he ordered his guards to check the pockets of this inventor for just how many written plans he was carrying. "Twenty-five" was the answer. The emperor paid for those, then had the inventor put to death.
I've worked at a Lockheed-Martin plant. I have an AS in electronic engineering. The imagination for destruction isn't hard to come up with. Sophistication isn't needed - killing, either defensively or offensively, is always going to be a grim task at any level.
The only question becomes, can we improve how we support our force(s)?
Truthfully and respectfully, I'd love to see where we'd be if we had developed laser equipment, deployable, much as Reagan's Star Wars Initiative would have wrought, after all, we know what those spying lens can determine.
I read a story, about the same time I read the SRA's story of LTC Moore's action, concerning a Chinese inventor that sold plans for one weapon to the emperor, then explained he had developed a unit to defeat it. He sold that plan to the emperor. He, then, explained that he had another invention to defeat the new defensive weapon - that piece of paper sold to the emperor, too. When the fine-minded soul offered yet drawn plan for another system to defeat, the emperor understood that this was now a "best"-ing deal, so he ordered his guards to check the pockets of this inventor for just how many written plans he was carrying. "Twenty-five" was the answer. The emperor paid for those, then had the inventor put to death.
I've worked at a Lockheed-Martin plant. I have an AS in electronic engineering. The imagination for destruction isn't hard to come up with. Sophistication isn't needed - killing, either defensively or offensively, is always going to be a grim task at any level.
The only question becomes, can we improve how we support our force(s)?
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I heard a story once (don't know if it's true or not), when I was in Germany in the early 80's. The hogs were not expected to survive more than a half dozen sorties. If the pilots survived the shootdown and they were close to us, so we could scoop them up fast they would be grunts till they could be taken to the rear and given another bird.
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