A-10 being retired?

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 1:40 pm

If I had to pick, give me the warthog for survivability. Every part of that plane is meant to take punishment,( and dish it out,) but bring the plane and pilot home.

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 2:14 pm

the pentagon / all military branches & bean counters who didn't have the foresight to realize the warthog's mission & concept have been eating crow since desert storm. if it works, don't mess with it. there is no suitable substitute that can pack the punch while maintaining survivability like that bird. as to the apache chopper it's good but can't carry near the ordinance as the hog. why does the pentagon always get rid of the weapon systems that support the ground troops?? talk about ass backwards thinking!!

L2Driver · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 4:18 pm

There are many excellent studies making the case for keeping the A-10, retiring them, transferring to USMC or Army, etc. There are an equal number of articles outlining the very complex relationship between the US Army and USAF regarding all aspects of the Key West accords and the downstream results of that agreement.

The short version: US Army can't afford to take on the CAS mission. The same funding problems plaguing USAF are also cutting deep into army aviation procurement programs. Anyone remember the $7B RAH-66 and ARH-70?

Without a replacement aircraft (F-35s not projected to be operational until 2016), Congress is unlikely to allow USAF to park the A-10s. In the meantime, Boeing is slated to continue producing replacement A-10 wings through 2018.

Malo83 · **Joined:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:31 am **Posts:** 309

Forest Service might want them, A-10 FireHog

http://www.aviationtrivia.info/A-10-Fire-Hog.php

Mike Bates · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 5:49 pm

I read it awhile back that it's not only the A-10 but also the whole B-1 fleet was being looked at to cut.

Mike

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:48 pm

I think this subject has been talked about several times in the past about getting rid of the hog. I tend to still not believe it,( hopefully.) if it does happen, all I can say is it will be a massive embarrassment to us to get rid of a perfectly suited aircraft for cas.

phil65 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 7:31 pm

davidwomacks wrote:

Citing budget issues they are replacing 350 A-10s which are paid for F-35 which aren't. Yea that makes alot of sense????

That's right, daddy has a house in Ct. to pay for. :twisted:

maxum96 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 9:17 pm

How many aircraft flying today can take this kind of punishment and keep flying?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BecNTYPYbU

Kyleb · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:22 pm

We've fought 2nd tier powers a dozen times since WWII. Every time, we have needed something that had battlefield persistence and could deliver a substantial amount of ordinance in close proximity to friendly troops based on (largely) visual targeting.

Until we have something proven better in that role, I think we'd regret the day we retired the A-10.

PS. Armed drones and GPS guided smart bombs cannot (IMO) fill the void which would be left if the A-10 was retired.

Cherrybomber13 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 11:35 pm

Great flyby. The sound of these aircraft is amazing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17h04ag1YHg

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 13, 2013 6:52 am

Man I miss that whistling sound going around all day. Sure, the f-15s are neat to have here in ma. But my heart is with the warthog

L2Driver · **Posted:** Wed Nov 13, 2013 10:04 am

Kyleb wrote:

We've fought 2nd tier powers a dozen times since WWII. Every time, we have needed something that had battlefield persistence and could deliver a substantial amount of ordinance in close proximity to friendly troops based on (largely) visual targeting.

Until we have something proven better in that role, I think we'd regret the day we retired the A-10.

PS. Armed drones and GPS guided smart bombs cannot (IMO) fill the void which would be left if the A-10 was retired.

If you look at the raw numbers, current CAS provided by A-10s is a relatively low percentage. The majority is provided by other platforms. So you have to seriously look at what the true impact would be if the Hog is removed. It's not like CAS capability ceases to exist. The wild-card would be the percentage of danger-close CAS missions flown by the A-10. Is it the same low percentage or is it the defacto weapon of choice?

Basically, we face the same issues that have gutted most of the world's air forces over the past 20-30 years. Current aircraft are prohibitively expensive and, as result, we buy far fewer of them and have to use them far longer than originally planned. Examples, the 750 planned F-22's at $150M each ended up as 188 planes at $412M each. The F-35 appears to be on a similar trajectory.

Me? I'm holding out for the super-secret, US Army, A-10M Mega-Hog!

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Wed Nov 13, 2013 2:47 pm

is that for real ?? or just an artist's rendition of a proposal??

Cherrybomber13 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 13, 2013 5:49 pm

Looks like a Gundam A-10 or a Robotech Hybrid. Seems Legit...

L2Driver · **Posted:** Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:56 am

tom d. friedman wrote:

is that for real ?? or just an artist's rendition of a proposal??

I'm 100% certain this is my own wishful thinking!

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A-10 being retired?

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