Great read on A10 support of SF team

[Peregrino]

I cheated - Wikipedia is convenient and usually accurate with tech specs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-10_Thunderbolt_II

Interesting excerpts include:

The A-10 is scheduled to stay in service with the USAF until 2028 , when it may be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II. The entire A-10 fleet is currently undergoing upgrades. The A-10 could stay in service longer due to its low cost and its unique capabilities which the F-35 simply cannot incorporate — such as its cannon, ruggedness, and slow flying capabilities.

Armament
Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GAU-8/A Avenger gatling gun with 1,350 rounds
Hardpoints: 8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations holding up to 16,000 lb (7,200 kg) and accommodating:
Mark 82, Mark 83, and Mark 84 general-purpose bombs or
Mk 77 incendiary bombs or
BLU-1, BLU-27/B Rockeye II, Mk20, BL755[citation needed] and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs or
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (A-10C) or
GBU-10 Paveway II, GBU-12 Paveway II, GBU-16 Paveway II and GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs or
Joint Direct Attack Munition (A-10C)[11] or
AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles or
LAU-68 Hydra 70 mm (2.76 in) and 127 mm (5.0 in) rocket pods or
Illumination flares, ECM and chaff pods or
ALQ-131 ECM pod or
LITENING AT/Sniper XR targeting pods (A-10C)

[x-factor]

Without getting into classified, I think we're living at the end of the days of cheap air superiority. The Russian S-300 series of air defense systems is on the world market and that is not anything to sneeze at. Add to that the continued proliferation of more and more effective MANPADs and the speed/stealth/sensors advantages of the JSF start to hold up a little better in the analysis.

Second, multi-mission capability is about more than what weapons you can put on the hardpoints. Its more about range and survivability vs air defenses than weapons capacity. There's more to supporting ground troops than just CAS: SEAD, interdiction, killer-scout, etc. (Ideally, if you do you killer scout and interdiction right, you may be able to kill the threat as it moves to contact and you won't even need to do CAS.)

Just as a point of comparison, according to the USAF's website, the F-16's range is more than twice the A-10s and, of course, it gets to the target much quicker too. Thats not a big deal when you're talking about Iraq and Afghanistan because the birds are already in country, but not every battle we fight is going to be on territory we've already conquered (all the moreso with SF missions) with forward basing options.

I'm not making any argument about the A-10 being a superior pure CAS platform than any other existing aircraft or that A-10 pilots are a lesser breed. The evidence on both of those points is overwhelming. And I'm not in any hurry to get rid of the A-10. By all means, lets keep them as long as we can. My point though is that there's a need for capability balance and the air defense environment is only going to get harder, potentially a lot harder.

If I were king, I'd like to see them optimize the Marine Corps VSTOL variant of the JSF for CAS and then have USAF buy some of those for pure CAS squadrons (maybe even put them under AFSOC so they can train closely with the Combat Controllers) as the A-10 is phased out.

The CAS disconnect between the USA and the USAF, by my assessment (which I admit is far more academic than real world, as yours is) is about mindset far more than hardware. If USAF squadrons were tied to USA formations to the same degree that USMC air elements are organically part of a MEF, then it wouldn't matter what they were flying. What sets A-10 pilots apart from the rest of the USAF, just as much as their airframe, is the simple fact that they have CAS as their #1 priority in their minds.

[Hipshot]

X-factor hit the nail on the head:
"If USAF squadrons were tied to USA formations to the same degree that USMC air elements are organically part of a MEF, then it wouldn't matter what they were flying. What sets A-10 pilots apart from the rest of the USAF, just as much as their airframe, is the simple fact that they have CAS as their #1 priority in their minds."

I have a picture of an Marine A-4 Skyhawk with a dent in the leading edge of the left wing where the pilot went through the tops of some trees on a strafing run. When troops on the ground need CAS, they need someone with the balls to get down in the dirt. Most USAF types want to be at 500 kts IAS and Angels 20+. It's tough to put bombs on target at that speed and altitude.

[JGarcia]

To me, the A-10 is the Airplane equivalent of the Ma' Deuce. How long has that been around?

When I was a pup, in a rifle squad in Desert Storm/Shield, I saw something I will never forget. I was on guard duty at King Fahd, where the A10's lived. I saw one returning from a mission, flying on approach to land. It approached my guard shack and flew right over the top of me, low and slow, I looked up and saw daylight right through that left wing. A VERY large portion of that wing was missing. But the ACFT was flying as if it were conducting some sort of air show flyby, slow, low, straight and steady. That wasn't the last time I saw chunks missing from A10's while they flew along. I've always been in awe of them.

Some things, are the epitome of efficiency, and are not easily improved on.

What other airplane compares, the SU-25 Frogfoot? When was that in combat?

[x-factor]

Originally Posted by JGarcia

What other airplane compares, the SU-25 Frogfoot? When was that in combat?

Ask the Chechens. I bet they see way more of the FROGFOOT than they'd like.

[Ret10Echo]

Originally Posted by Hipshot

X-factor hit the nail on the head:
"If USAF squadrons were tied to USA formations to the same degree that USMC air elements are organically part of a MEF, then it wouldn't matter what they were flying. What sets A-10 pilots apart from the rest of the USAF, just as much as their airframe, is the simple fact that they have CAS as their #1 priority in their minds."

I have a picture of an Marine A-4 Skyhawk with a dent in the leading edge of the left wing where the pilot went through the tops of some trees on a strafing run. When troops on the ground need CAS, they need someone with the balls to get down in the dirt. Most USAF types want to be at 500 kts IAS and Angels 20+. It's tough to put bombs on target at that speed and altitude.

What better time to bring this up than on the anniversary of the Army Air Corp....

Concur with the comments concerning how the MAG supports the ground fight. They aren't in it to win it from the nosebleed seats. Put the A-10 in with the ground forces and supplement with rotary wing assets.

[The Reaper]

Well, the closest we came to doing that was at Bragg, where the A-10s are right next door on Pope, but I guess BRAC thought that was a bad idea, so that scheme is going away.

They did think that moving 7th Group to Eglin was a good idea though. Must be better jointness there with a unit that commonly works as part of a JTF or something.

TR

[Trip_Wire (RIP)]

A couple of info sites on the SU 25 and the Updated SU25SM.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-25

SU25SM.:

http://www.airwar.ru/enc_e/attack/su25sm.html