Sanity prevails, the A-10 Warthog lives!
H2OMAN
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4,025 Posts
Even the A10 got into Terminator Salvation
Who will you turn to when the machines take over! A10 of course
Who will you turn to when the machines take over! A10 of course
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3,241 Posts
Since rights do not require anyone else to provide them, no funding is required either. We need to defund the tyrants (or something
)The reason officials don't like the A10 is operation costs ( they need a lot of maintenance) and they are a "one trick pony"
I think they are a great asset but IF we had something more versatile that could do multiple jobs and need less time in hanger why not convert to that?
Key word....if.
I think they are a great asset but IF we had something more versatile that could do multiple jobs and need less time in hanger why not convert to that?
Key word....if.
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6,659 Posts
Someone Obviously added up all the Chinese and Russian Main Battle Tanks. The fact that they were thinking about replacing the A/10 and expecting The F35 to do the same job goes to show you how ****ing stupid they are.
No doubt it is a tank killer....but its role in CAS is crucial.
You must not be up on recent events with the A-10. The Air force really can't afford a single purpose airplane at this point in time. And the A-10s are pretty well worn out. The A-10s were offered to the ARMY. ARMY brass turned down the offer of the transfer. The ARMY doesn't want to pay to rebuild them either....or maintain an airplane that can't economically be maintained anymore since most parts come from boneyard aircraft. The A-10 was actually offered to the other services too. Reference is in one of the last couple of paragraphs in the attached article.
Link: http://www.airforcetimes.com/articl...es.com/article/20131017/NEWS/310170027/Air-Force-10-cuts-would-save-3-5-billion
The A-10 wouldn't survive against decent air to air threats with the Chinese or Russians. This was known when the A-10s were fielded for use to slow the advance of Russian armor in Europe during the cold war. The airplanes are just too slow. they have done real well in recent conflicts with 3rd world militaries and insurgents however.
I was Air Force maintenance for a long time. It's not about flash with the A-10. They are worn out and Fairchild is no longer in business. The A-10s were designed to slow Russian armor advance and were pretty much disposable. They have worked well for recent conflicts and nothing comes close to the gun of the A-10. But they are worn out and spare parts mostly come from the boneyard donor aircraft. This can only go on for so long. The very attributes that have made them effective...big and slow would limit their lives in a conflict against able and modern air defenses.
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9,719 Posts
sure hope they'll have enough $$$ for keeping the shelves stocked with pink lacy stuff for the transgenders .... could cost the DemoCraps the few votes they get from the military ....
Before sequestration, the Air Force signed contracts for new wings to be built. The new wings are more robust and address problems with the original wing design from what I've been able to read. The new wings would not be built for all airplanes however. Most parts for this airplane are simply not available so retired airframes would be used for parts...just like now. The boneyard has been running out of parts though.So how are they going to handle the wing stress age cracking issue?
Maybe the Pentagon is reading our posts here and taking our advice?
Good to see that they have come to their senses.
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3,139 Posts
Last time (or maybe the time before last) the USAF was trying to axe the A-10, the Army made a serious proposal to take over the A-10 fleet since the USAF didn't want them. It broke down because the USAF was willing to give up the aircraft but wanted to keep all the associated manpower slots that went with them. Also, the USAF brass have repeatedly tried to kill the A-10 as a means of fielding more high performance aircraft -- once upon a time it was "F/A-16s" (the "A" got added specifically to market the F-16 as an A-10 replacement), though now I'm sure it's F-35s.
In a truly sane world, they'd have developed and fielded an A-10 replacement years ago -- a true CAS platform replacement, rather than trying to repackage high performance fighters as CAS aircraft. Operating costs are driven to a large extent (though not the only issue) by age of aircraft -- before they got rid of the Pave Lows, those were the most expensive aircraft to operate per hour in the USAF (or so some AFSOC aircrews I worked with a little bit told me). Not because of all the secret squirrel bells and whistles, but because that was the mid-2000s and their airframes were built in the early 70s.
The problem with putting something more versatile in the CAS role is that based on the last six or seven decades, the powers that be in the Army and other services do not trust the USAF leadership to deliver CAS as needed if you give them a tool they can do a sexier mission with. The "not one pound for air to ground" mantra that informed F-15 design and development and the distrust that sort of mindset generates still lingers on both sides of the debate.
I keep hearing this baloney about parts, so what, this means we should drop the AR, after all, Fairchild is no longer in business.
The way this friggin country sounds anymore, I am not sure if this isn't really Cuba, having to drive 1957 Chevys and paste them together.
There is exactly ZERO in the A-10 that cannot be mass friggin produced CHEAPLY.
Sorry, I don't mean to yell at you, but coming from a manufacturing background where I reverse engineer stuff all the time and then make it better, I weep for how this country has fallen.
I also don't buy the baloney about them not being survivable, yea you have the F22 and F35 to take out the threats, but then what?
That's the WHOLE reason to have the A10.
Sure you can just build more, just depends on how much money you throw at it
http://boeing.rollcall.com/topic-a/...c-a/sponsored-post/10-thunderbolt-ii-gets-new-wings-ensures-sound-freedom-2035/
http://boeing.rollcall.com/topic-a/...c-a/sponsored-post/10-thunderbolt-ii-gets-new-wings-ensures-sound-freedom-2035/
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10,835 Posts
Where's Puff when you need him?
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35,677 Posts
Agreed, and as I said before, if we can't make them here, send the plans to S Korea and have them add a new line to their Hyundai factory. We would have a cheap effective A-10 in every driveway.
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