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Congress adds amendment to keep the A-10
Congress thinks the A-10 is important enough to keep around (candicemiller.house.gov) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Everyone hates spending and wants to slash slash slash - but nobody wants to slash anything that benefits their district or state.
Why would one of the planet's premier defensive units remove one of the greatest ground support assets in history of their existence? Could it be the Muslim influence of their current leader????
Not at all. It's just that the Army is sucking up budget monies that the Air Force believes would be better spent on Air Force pet projects. It is a disagreement that goes back to around 1948 or so.
The A-10 has ALWAYS been the aircraft the Air Force has loved to hate. Not sleek, not fast, not sexy and too close to the real action on the ground. No way a supersonic fighter can do its job. Regardless of the cost/hour, it's got to be cheaper than the amortized cost of the F-35 AND it's already paid for. When they finally wear out they should dig out the jigs and forms and make more!
You are correct, BUT, somebody down below here said the original jigs were destroyed, but, if they can fly the BUFF's as long as they have and plan to, they ought to be able to do these, of course, them are bombers and they need the A10 money to pay for the F35 fiasco.
We DO NOT need $1.5 Billion dollar each, all purpose, VTOL, carrier capable, stealth fighters. Can't afford them, when you can get a hundred Warthogs for the same price.
I remember Gulf war footage from a helicopter lining up on a tank for a missile shot, coming in flat out (150 kts?) at maybe 150 feet AGL when a Warthog doing probably TRIPLE that speed went UNDER the chopper, maybe 50-75 feet AGL, let go a one second burst from the 30mm gatling, obliterated the tank, and pitched up and out before the helicopter pilot even knew what the heck just happened.
Couple that with high bypass engines that can be blown clean off the pylon by a shoulder fired missile - and the aircraft flys home safely, a Titanium bathtub to protect the pilot from shrapnel and small arms, and a HUGE bomb load, and you've got just about the ultimate close air support killing machine.
If I ever went into combat (too old, can't), that's what I'd want to fly (or the much rumored Aurora - so nobody could even shoot high enough to get at me)