An A-10 Came By Here....

[allardjd 1,853]

...I can still see his tracks.

 

 

[CAT3508 343]

Brrrttttt, as the saying goes !!!!

[brett 2,315]

LOL, good one John.  Not exactly the most elusive animal out there and their bite is definitely worse than their bark. 
 

The talking heads and accountants wanted to get rid of them, funny how they never ask the troops. "Go Ugly Early" as the ground troops would say. 

 

[allardjd 1,853]

I love the Air Force, but sometimes they have their head in the sand.  They never wanted the close air support role, nor did they want anyone else to have it.  The go-fast crowd in the AF has been trying to kill off the A-10 almost from the moment it came off the drawing boards at Fairchild.  It just doesn't fit the image they have of themselves and their role.  There's no other mud-mover in our inventory that can match the utility of this thing.  It's relatively low cost of operation and low-speed, low-altitude, long loiter time capability make it a pretty good card to have in our deck.  It's even better at it than the Skyraider was, and that's saying something.

 

There's a big difference between a tactical strike aircraft, which this isn't, and a close air support aircraft.  This one fills the latter requirement as well as anything that's ever been built.  It's better at it (and cheaper) than F-15s, F-16s, F/A 18s or even the vaunted F-35, which will be a pretty decent mud mover.  

 

The only thing that comes close for close air support is the AC-130 and it's less survivable and less able to take care of itself than the Hog.  If it's daylight and the enemy has even minimal anti-aircraft capability, the Spectre needs to be somewhere else.  

 

John

[brett 2,315]

So true and not to mention it can take a hit like a B-17 and still fly because of it's armor and redundant systems.