#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 |
