US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
Congratulations on Poster of the Month, is this your new "persona" here on SDF, perpetual winner! LOL I must say that all of your posts are well thought, and well spoken, even though with our language barrier, it sometimes requires the AFB to "get inside your head" for an accurate translation. It often seems that we are broadcasting on the same wave length, and I do look forward to your next, "in the cockpit" interpretation, LOL! good work Master Forbin, very good work, and thanks for all you add to our Sino Defense University curriculum! +1 Bubba!
Jura The idiot
General
yeah FORBIN is a Big Shrimp LOL!
Yes Sir, he certainly is classy, and smart, always a nice combination!
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Jura The idiot
General
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Close attack missions are hard and deadly, In the Gulf Smaller numbers of A10 flew sorties then say F16's doing the same missions yet the A10's took far more losses.
With the Advent of Precision guided weapons the needs have changed and getting down into the weeds is less a need meaning that less armored platforms are more relevant.
This is why Rather then pushing for A10 or SU25 type Aircraft The new CAS platforms are based on lighter long endurance turboprops like the A29, jets like the Scorpion Areas where the mission aim is one part patrol one part attack. If you look at the Scorpion most of it's payload is sensor based as opposed to the A10 which was built around a main gun.
Although I love what the A10 offers It's key liability is that it's placed in a position where it is more and more likely to result in the loss of a Pilot behind enemy lines.
By having stand off range of precision weapons and Stealth platforms like the F35 offer a more relevant attack platform but at the price of loiter and limitations of budget as well as just sometimes lack of need. If the US were operating in a Allied assistance role like Iraq or Syria running missions against Asymmetric threats using super sonic stealth platforms is well.. over kill. I mean if the mission is just dropping a couple JDAMS on some Toyota pickups loaded with Jihadis Do you need to bring in such a platform?
What this article is really talking about here is more of A mission set needed for a lower low end machine Not a "Super A10" Not even really a replacement for the A10 but something more like the old Cessna A-37 Dragonfly or the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco. This could indicate a shift in the DOD Thinking to a flexible force with the USAF thinking about having conventional Air force elements with F22, F35, B21 for use against pier to near pier foes and COIN elements for Dropping bombs on ISIS and the like or even for use after the breakdown of enemy command and control.