Quote:
Originally Posted by rcaf_777
Well I guess is all depends on how you look at the A-10 combat record, this article here, states that according to air force records over 80% of the CAS missions where by other aircraft. Now it also looks at how the stats were collected, but the point is other aircraft could do the roll
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I also think that aircraft while a good design, is past its prime with airframes around 33-42 years old.
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I remain a fan of the A-10, but as seen above, plenty of planes can do some sort of CAS. It's better with a low, slow, airframe such as the A-10. Getting a COIN design from this flyoff would be great, as long as the AF supports it with funding and crewing.
"War is Boring" (I think) made much this point yesterday, it's the training & attitudes of the crews that matters as much as the airframe when it comes to delivering effective CAS.
IMO, the AF needs specialized planes for specialized missions. COIN missions, with a more permissive air-defense environment, can get away with "cheaper" planes, so I'd like to see something develop there, which may or may not be the A-10.
In short, as long as /something/ dedicated replaces the A-10, I'm OK with letting it go. The F-35 seems to want to replace the F-15E and F-117, which are not what I'm looking for. Back in the '70s, the Navy spoke of a "high-low" mix of ship designs, I guess that's a label I wouldn't mind for attack aircraft.