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2013-12-17 Home Front: WoT

Bill Blocks Air Force from Retiring A-10 Warthog

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Posted by Sherry 2013-12-17 01:01|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 Give them to the Army and Marines. Duh.

Posted by OldSpook 2013-12-17 03:40|| 2013-12-17 03:40|| Front Page Top

#2 Your ultimate close air support weapon would be something above the earth with a pinpoint accuracy laser that can pick off a person individually when they get too near our troops and do it repeatedly," Davis added.

And that capability exists where? Until then, the Reach out and Touch Someone practice should be maintained

Posted by Warthog 2013-12-17 09:49|| 2013-12-17 09:49|| Front Page Top

#3 They would like standoff so that the JAG legal officers have more time to decide whether to let the pilot to shoot. Besides, it's not a fighter & the Air Force fighter clique has been trying to put this AC down for the last 30 years. It was brought out of "mothballs" more than once because nothing else does CAS as well.

Posted by tipover 2013-12-17 10:09|| 2013-12-17 10:09|| Front Page Top

#4 Ahh... but I believe (being non-military) that CAS is not just killing the enemy - but to (legitimately) terrorize those who survive so that they think twice before attacking again.
Having a great big noisy flying gun literally in your face would have a lot more impact than some remote jet or B-52 you might not even be able to see.
But then again I'm not military so probably don't understand...

Posted by CrazyFool 2013-12-17 10:36|| 2013-12-17 10:36|| Front Page Top

#5 Your ultimate close air support weapon would be something above the earth with a pinpoint accuracy laser that can pick off a person individually when they get too near our troops and do it repeatedly," Davis added.

A pinpoint accuracylaser that can pick point a person individually all while 999,999 other bad guys are firing at you.

Posted by JFM 2013-12-17 11:35|| 2013-12-17 11:35|| Front Page Top

#6 Your ultimate close air support weapon would be something above the earth with a pinpoint accuracy laser that can pick off a person individually when they get too near our troops and do it repeatedly"

I see we're already fighting "the last war."

Posted by Pappy 2013-12-17 12:18|| 2013-12-17 12:18|| Front Page Top

#7 You don't need to fly slow with a lot of titanium armor with a 30-mm gun just to be able to do close air support.
Let's see...A10, MH60 DAP, Spooky...
Hey, they all fly low & slow!

I still remember hearing the turbines whine overhead as one banked, pirouetted on the wingtip light as a dragonfly, and strafed a line of trucks as he was coming around. Amazing.

Posted by Skidmark 2013-12-17 12:37|| 2013-12-17 12:37|| Front Page Top

#8 CrazyFool, I'm also not military but I've read stories of VC in bunkers during an archlight strike in Vietnam. I read that and knew that when we bombed Saddams bunkers for a number of days they were gonna surrender with brown shorts.

The other thing is a spooky gunship which can put a bullet in every square inch of a football field in a matter of minutes. That has to be intimidating. And it can stay over target.

Both these and the A10 would be better and cheaper than the F-35 but the Air Force likes the high profile beauty of the combat jets.

Posted by rjschwarz 2013-12-17 14:48|| 2013-12-17 14:48|| Front Page Top

#9 True - not much market for a 'Top ~~Gun~~ Hog' movie.

Posted by CrazyFool 2013-12-17 18:17|| 2013-12-17 18:17|| Front Page Top

#10 This brings back mmories of 'burg discussions about Iraq & Astan.

We seem to have developed the mentality that it's bad to kill the enemy in groups larger than one at a time. There has always been a tactical advantage through out history to beating a population into submission (see Huns, Romans, Mongols, etc.)

Will the nicey nice approach that this implies be effective in reducing the need to keep going to war? How does the wash, rinse and repeat approach fit here?

Posted by AlanC 2013-12-17 18:42|| 2013-12-17 18:42|| Front Page Top

#11 Live Leak war pron videos of A-10s wiping out Talibunnies by the dozens always warmed my heart

Posted by Frank G 2013-12-17 20:01|| 2013-12-17 20:01|| Front Page Top

#12 "LOW-N-SLOW" > Higher on-target accuracy = minimal to no "friendly fire" incidents.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2013-12-17 20:07|| 2013-12-17 20:07|| Front Page Top

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