Quote:
Originally Posted by mpipes
IMHO the F-35 can't do that close support mission. Stealth won't do it any good in daylight trying to deliver ordnance on target. I don't think it can carry the weapons load to do the job either. Its also madness to send an almost $100,000,000 airplane down into the AAA arena to do the A-10s mission. If they do retire the A-10, eventually it will be discovered that the F-35 can't do the mission near as well.
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I agree; my worry is that the A10s won't be "retired", they'll be sent to D-M and chopped into scrap just as quickly as the USAF can do so, so the Army can't try and acquire them and Congress/JCS can't make them fly them again.
See the F117-A Nighthawk is "Retired" but those birds are inside, in climate-controlled storage kept in flyable condition should the need arise. If the USAF is given even an inkling that they can ship all the Warthogs off to D-M they won't hesitate to bust them up. Watch.