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2018-01-27 China-Japan-Koreas

In any war with North Korea, the A-10 is a powerful weapon

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Posted by Anomalous Sources 2018-01-27 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 The F-35 should be a fairly good wild weasel plane if it is fielded in enough numbers.

Although... my suspicion is, in any war with North Korea, we'd eventually wind up fighting China directly rather than indirectly. So we'd probably need more of F-22, F-35, _and_ A-10's.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2018-01-27 01:44|| 2018-01-27 01:44|| Front Page Top

#2 What I AM telling you is you have no better proven close air support on earth.

And until you do, take your un-shielded F-35's out of the CAS equation.

It is not, and never will be a replacement for the A-10. When you show me a viable replacement on the battleground, Then I will be sold.

I have seen the A-10 and the F-35 is not IT.
Not for the trench Warriors.

Posted by newc 2018-01-27 01:57|| 2018-01-27 01:57|| Front Page Top

#3 Remember the Macnamara's TFX Program that was supposed to give us a multi-service/multi-role/multi-everything fighter?? Same thought process and probably the same results: a low payload bomber.

Posted by magpie 2018-01-27 02:57|| 2018-01-27 02:57|| Front Page Top

#4 There is no way in hell we have enough "operational" A-10s for the job.

But who knows, maybe the three working B-1s can make up the difference. It would take one or two years just to fill the backordered parts to make it a clean go.

Posted by Woodrow 2018-01-27 03:12|| 2018-01-27 03:12|| Front Page Top

#5 All cogent remarks.
Now, how to avoid a close encounter war?

Posted by Skidmark 2018-01-27 07:53|| 2018-01-27 07:53|| Front Page Top

#6 Magpie,

What you say about ending up with a bomber is exactly the point - the Lightning is a first-day light bomber with a pretty good air-to-air capability. Politically and for treaty reasons, we can't call it a bomber (that's one big reason the F-117 had an 'F' number) and although you could make a VERY good case for it getting an A-series number (and the late, lamented Aardvark, for that matter) USAF internal politics would never allow it - the leadership will slash every tire and throw a thermite grenade in every cockpit before another official A-for-Attack bird sees USAF service again.

Now, all that of course does not mean the Lightning can ever replace the Hog at what the Hog does so very well - it can NOT. It is too fragile, has too short a loiter time, and cannot carry enough of the proper ammo. The difficulty here is that no other aircraft ever will either, and in a future Korean conflict the Hog may well be doomed before it starts. TFA states correctly that the DPRKAF will probably be swept from the skies right quickly...but the grim fact is that the Hog has never yet been in a fight where it was up against an enemy that can truly fight back. The Norks will have more than enough anti-air capability remaining on the ground to make using the Hogs a dicey proposition at best.

None of that is a reflection on the Hogs or their maintainers - heck, I used to be one (21TFS/55FS)back in the day, and I know the aircrews will push their attacks to the limit. But the truth is that their will probably be not enough Hogs against the potential threats to their mission.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2018-01-27 10:18|| 2018-01-27 10:18|| Front Page Top

#7 "Remember the Macnamara's TFX Program that was supposed to give us a multi-service/multi-role/multi-everything fighter?? Same thought process and probably the same results: a low payload bomber."

But does it have port holes?

Seriously, what are we going to use for CAS?
Drones?

Posted by newc 2018-01-27 12:10|| 2018-01-27 12:10|| Front Page Top

#8 newc,according to my AF officer son, yes - drones are the future of CAS. Someday.

Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2018-01-27 13:53|| 2018-01-27 13:53|| Front Page Top

#9 Like some of you, I have had the privilege of watching them dance together, A10's and drones. It is a thing of beauty.

Posted by Besoeker 2018-01-27 14:00|| 2018-01-27 14:00|| Front Page Top

#10 Music to my ears. Coming home from work the other day I saw two A10s doing a simultaneous landing at Gowan field...loved it

Posted by Warthog 2018-01-27 17:08|| 2018-01-27 17:08|| Front Page Top

#11 Living next to Davis-Mothan, it's always nice to hear the turbine whine of the A-10's in the air.

Posted by bbrewer126 2018-01-27 18:16|| 2018-01-27 18:16|| Front Page Top

#12 At the US Open Tennis mens final one year, a group of A10s did the flyover, and of course I got all excited and gave the people around me a brief talk on it's capabilities- anyway I was left to enjoy the tennis in peace from then on.

Posted by Grunter 2018-01-27 18:35|| 2018-01-27 18:35|| Front Page Top

#13 "newc,according to my AF officer son, yes - drones are the future of CAS. Someday."

Well, there was a special kind of effectiveness with having an actual Human who could immediately correct action by call - a roving over-watch. I wonder what kind of delay the drone presents?

Posted by newc 2018-01-27 19:16|| 2018-01-27 19:16|| Front Page Top

#14 The U.S. Is Deploying A Huge Number Of MQ-9 Reaper Drones To Afghanistan

Posted by newc 2018-01-27 23:07|| 2018-01-27 23:07|| Front Page Top

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