Article

2017-01-28 Home Front: WoT

Pentagon plans A-10 vs. F-35 showdown for close-air-support supremacy

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Posted by Vast Right Wing Conspiracy 2017-01-28 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 They each have a role the other can't fill very well. Why have only one?

Posted by Glenmore 2017-01-28 00:55|| 2017-01-28 00:55|| Front Page Top

#2 Yes Glenmore particularly as an A-10 is much cheaper

Posted by BernardZ 2017-01-28 03:00|| 2017-01-28 03:00|| Front Page Top

#3 ...Interesting that this is still going to happen, even more interesting that it's going to happen when the -35 is still pretty wonky. (Realistically, the USAF's -35 will not be a truly combat-capable aircraft for at least two more years.) And the -35, ready or not, will face two problems: in a fair test, the Hog will kick its a$$, and even in a test where the circumstances are set up so the -35 can do it...the Hog will still win.

Place your bets, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2017-01-28 04:44|| 2017-01-28 04:44|| Front Page Top

#4 The fix will be in for the 4F-35

Posted by BrerRabbit 2017-01-28 05:38|| 2017-01-28 05:38|| Front Page Top

#5 It's F-111 the remake!

Posted by Pliny Glons2836 2017-01-28 08:11|| 2017-01-28 08:11|| Front Page Top

#6 The only judges in the CAS eval should be the 'users' - Army and Marine ground pounders.

Posted by Procopius2k 2017-01-28 08:47|| 2017-01-28 08:47|| Front Page Top

#7 I understand the CAS role for which the A-10 was designed.

I still don't know what role the F-35 was meant to fill beyond the rather vague "everything".

It seems silly to run these two against each other. The F-35 had an enormous speed and stealth advantage. Is that all that important vs. the A-10?

The F-35 sounds like the canonical example of feature creep. Why?

Posted by AlanC 2017-01-28 09:02|| 2017-01-28 09:02|| Front Page Top

I still don't know what role the F-35 was meant to fill beyond the rather vague "everything"

Here, this graphic should enable our mutual understanding.

Posted by Besoeker 2017-01-28 09:11|| 2017-01-28 09:11|| Front Page Top

#9 Make sure they do a "Ground Fire Tolerance" test, too.

Posted by Bobby 2017-01-28 11:29|| 2017-01-28 11:29|| Front Page Top

#10 Thank you Beso. I've said the same thing before.....I forgot the Sarc tag this time.

Posted by AlanC 2017-01-28 12:59|| 2017-01-28 12:59|| Front Page Top

#11 Bobby, they did a 'ground fire tolerance test' on the A-10 during desert Storm using what are now 25 year old Soviet missiles and it failed badly enough that they went back to using fast movers for CAS. The whole A-10 CAS superiority fantasy is based on the idea that we'll never fight another modern army again. Which will be great until suddenly it isn't.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2017-01-28 14:41|| 2017-01-28 14:41|| Front Page Top

#12 Bobby, they did a 'ground fire tolerance test' on the A-10 during desert Storm using what are now 25 year old Soviet missiles and it failed badly enough that they went back to using fast movers for CAS. The whole A-10 CAS superiority fantasy is based on the idea that we'll never fight another modern army again. Which will be great until suddenly it isn't.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2017-01-28 14:41|| 2017-01-28 14:41|| Front Page Top

#13 Hai Snowy!

Posted by Shipman 2017-01-28 18:58|| 2017-01-28 18:58|| Front Page Top

#14 Yes, the Great Apache Raid is also rarely spoken of.

Posted by Shipman 2017-01-28 18:59|| 2017-01-28 18:59|| Front Page Top

#15 AlanC: "I still don't know what role the F-35 was meant to fill ... "

The F-35 was supposed to be to the F-22 what the F-16 was to the F-15.

It hasn't worked out that way.

Posted by Chuck 2017-01-28 19:56|| 2017-01-28 19:56|| Front Page Top

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