Grounding A-10s will save $4.2 billion, decision ‘clear’: USAF general

Flight Global ^ | 4/23/14 | Jon Hemmerdinger

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Wow, hadn't heard of that story. It's on Wikipedia, second item...

List of F-15 losses

1983 Negev mid-air collision – On 1 May 1983, during an Israeli Air Force training dogfight, an F-15D collided with an A-4 Skyhawk. Unknown to pilot Zivi Nedivi and his copilot, the right wing of the Eagle was sheared off roughly two feet (60 cm) from the fuselage. The F-15 entered a controllable spin after the collision. Zivi decided to attempt recovery and engaged afterburner to increase speed, allowing him to regain control of the aircraft. The pilot was able to prevent stalling and maintain control because of the lift generated by the large horizontal surface area of the fuselage, the stabilators and remaining wing areas. The F-15 landed at twice the normal speed to maintain the necessary lift, and its tailhook was torn off completely during the landing during a failed attempt at using the emergency arresting gear installed on the runway to bring the aircraft to a halt. Zivi managed to bring his F-15 to a complete stop approximately 20 ft (6 m) from the end of the runway. He was later quoted as saying "(I) probably would have ejected if I knew what had happened."

Also at NO WING F15.

[cpdiii]

The fighter mafia has ALWAYS hated the A-10. No F-16 can loiter like an A-10 can. Move the A-10s to the Army.

Ask the grunts on the ground if they want and F-16 or F-18 or an A-10 in the air when they are in deep sh-t. The A-10 is so revered by the Army they have one on display at Fort Hood. The grunts love the A-10. They know that slow, ugly piece of aluminum will drop some really bad stuff on the bad guys that are up close and personal.

[Always A Marine]

The fighter mafia has ALWAYS hated the A-10... Move the A-10s to the Army.

Marine infantry does not trust anyone but Marine Air for close air support. The A-10 and its pilots are great, but USAF leadership hates CAS and is unreliable. The Army should take the A-10s if the Air Force doesn't want them.

[Usagi_yo]

Well totally disbanding the military would save a big chunk too.

[Pelham]

The A10 is a ground support aircraft. Currently very effective against the Taliban. Infantry love the A-10.

[oldtech]

As a casual observer,it seems to me that what they are trying to do with the A-10 is a lot like what automotive”geniuses” are trying to do with some of the new cars. Take a proven performer & replace it with something that costs more,has more bells & whistles,& is less reliable or effective. It was always my understanding that the A-10 was an excellent,well proven aircraft that was a scarey sight to our enemies.

[Pelham]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BP8fRbuadA

[Nip]

BLUF - if you can not break Mach 1; pull G’s until your eyes blur, and look high speed on the ramp the AF doesn’t want you.

CAS wins wars, like it or not. You win wars by taking territory away from your enemy and holding on to it. We tried something else in Vietnam; 58,000 plus names on a war tells me that what we did there was wrong. Saigon is now Ho Chi Min City.

For the last 12 plus years the fighters have had a floor below which they aren’t supposed to go. Specter and the Hogs lived, fought, supported, and survived well below that floor.

BTW - the F-16 need to be re-engined - flying all of those air born alerts CONUS under Operation Noble Eagle burned up the engines and airframes.

BTW - when is the first wing of F-35s going to be operationally ready? I mean the latest slip not the one sold to Congress.

What are our grunts supposed to do in the mean time when things turn to heck and the ground fight is danger close?

[MHalblaub]

LM can’t make any profit supporting ground troops. The generals want nice jobs at LM after the Army. For dead soldiers LM won’t pay much. All taxpayer will pay a small pension for the widow.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

The Army would take the A-10, but it needs to come with the support package (arming, maintenance, refueling, etc), the AF is not going to give up that force structure.

[2001convSVT]

No!! we are broke. We gave it all to parasites. There is no more money CUT CUT CUT!!

Sad but so True, SadMillie. At the present rate of deficit spending by democrat-rino-communist, the interest on the debit is on track to surpass defense spending.

[hattend]

Kill the A-10 = 4.2 billion saved.

Continue the F-35 = Trillions wasted

Fighter Mafia 1, Taxpayers 0

[longtermmemmory]

I thought the army controlled the warthogs.

is this a turf war between the army and usaf?

[hattend]

A-10 has been an Air Force asset since introduction.

Grunts on the ground can talk to the A-10 and assign targets. Is that what you meant?

[longtermmemmory]

ok

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Yo-Yo.