bcheary Loc: Jacksonville, FL

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a26515/three-planes-oax-help-replace-the-a-10/?

Seems to me that the A10 does one helluva job! If it works, don't fix it!

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

We need something light, maneuverable, and packing a lot of firepower to kill a lot of radical Muslims. The more the better. Spend tax dollars on our military instead of studying the mating habits of muskrats. They know how to reproduce. I cleaned that last sentence up a bit.

bcheary Loc: Jacksonville, FL

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

The A10 "warthog" is a great tank killer and a very robust aircraft - I'd hate to see it go away.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Afraid they will build another F4 that did not have an internal gun. It was a flying coffin. You run out of rockets you better beat it out the fight an head home if yuh can. You were a flying duck, with no machine gun.

That at Gatling gun is one bad ass tank killer

McCain is right about the A10
https://youtu.be/pHv50lXfDHQ

https://youtu.be/IbtETE_g09Q

https://youtu.be/0n0DVL5kO5Y

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I seem to have a memory of reading articles long ago about how the Air Force didn't want the A-10, congress insisted. The A-10 is a "mud mover" ground attack dedicated, not a glamorous fighter so the Air Force didn't want it. The Army spoke up and said they would take it and restart the Army Air Corps to fly ground attack planes, helicopters and Army cargo/troop carriers. In a deal with the Air Force the Army had given up fixed wing aircraft, I flew on a Caribou in Nam just before they were all turned over to the Air Force. Then suddenly the Air Force agreed to take the A-10 but with modifications of their choice.

They insisted on more weapons, the original design was built around that 30 mm rotary cannon to hunt vehicles and hard points for light bombs but did not include the heavy hard points for Maverick missiles or other heavy ordinance or all weather day/night capability and instruments (it was meant to support ground troops in the daylight when they could guide the strikes by radio). The Air Force insisted on all of those so the weight and price went up, a lot. But no more powerful engines to haul the weight. This left the A-10 under powered.
It is such a good design it has been successful in spite of the added weight and being under powered.
I also read that the reason the numbers of A-10 have been constantly going down is the Air Force ordered all the tools and dies destroyed so more couldn't be easily made.
On the other hand the Chinook helicopter, an even older design, mainly an Army bird is still in production at the rate of about one a month with constant improvements and/or custom versions being produced while older birds go back for upgrades on a regular basis. There are reports that the Army sees no end to changes and production. Some speculate it may reach a 100 year service life as a type.
If the Army had control of the A-10 it is likely it would have had the same story.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Now you can watch what you read an the big argument.
https://youtu.be/0n0DVL5kO5Y

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

They are as ugly as Pony Boi and ShitShooter rolled into one but are damn efficient killing machines. We need to be using them as well as the Apache helicopters and be flying some low level aircraft runs raining down napalm on those goat humping ISIS idiots. We have Syria and Iraq so fucked that they won't be a threat for decades. With Iran we need to covertly start a civil war somehow. Next would be to offer one hundred million dollars and safe passage and relocation to any high ranking official in North Korea to put a few bullets through the skull of the fat midget running that country. Then we get tough with the drug cartels south of our border. Put some special forces teams in place in Mexico and start assassinating the higher ups in the cartels. I could make the world a safer place in a year. Next time I see President Trump I'll discuss my strategy. Hell, I might get one of those cushy government jobs with lifetime benefits for fixing the fuck ups from the past several years. Vote for Pounder in 2020 if I decide to run for President.

richosob Loc: Lambertville, MI

An awesome airplane, the ground troops love it. It does an absolutely great job at what it was built for, close air support. You're right when you say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Send those Muslim scumbags up to Allah in little pieces.

Rich

usnpilot Loc: Ft Myers Fl

You are spot on about the B model F4 which is the model I flew.

bob44044 Loc: Ohio

I see no credible reason to replace the A-10. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that plane. It's just another case of change for the sake of change. The A-10 is the greatest attack aircraft ever to fly. Why-OH-Why would anyone need to change it. I'd like to hear just one good reason why.

Sirsnapalot Loc: Hammond, Louisiana

Pounder for Pres!

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

good back story Robertjeri....

If it does turn and burn and drops a lot of bombs Air Farce doesn't want it. The f16 kicked the F35 butt in mock battles in every encounter but dose one think that they would upgrade the 16 heck no we want the $$$ f35... I forget the AF Gen's name but during the start up of the Desert Storm he wasn't deploying the Wart Hog to the area at all and stated the the other acft could do the job F16/F15 strike eagles.... well that didn't go over to well with Gen Norman Schwarkopf he demanded that they deploy the hog, they did and the rest is history. Of note it was the only fixed wing acft to shoot down a mig with it's gun in desert storm. that acft could take a beating and still bring the pilot back, it had a armored tub around the pilot, dual control systems, engines that were designed to engest debris and still run and other attributes. Even with it's performance in desert storm the air farce still wants to replace it and replacing it with the smaller aircraft is not a good idea but the air force does not care for the grunt on the ground they only thing they want to do is get rid of it and keep the army from flying something they could use...

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Pounder your not in the attic. No one wants to hear your trash

PaulB Loc: Alabama

One of the problems is that the Air Force is run by the "fighter mafia". If the aircraft doesn't go fast and look sexy, they don't want it in the force. They keep saying that the F-15s/F-16s/F-22s and F-35s can do the close air support mission just as well. Ask the guys on the ground what they think. The Army would love to own the A-10 and its capability. That and the AC-130 gunships!