Good Idea. And while we’re at it, why not xfer the A-10 fleet to the Army also since the AF has been trying to ditch then ever since they were first deployed.
Close Air Support (CAS) has always been the red headed stepchild of the Air Force. When the AF was run by the Bomber Generals, it was the B-47, then the B-52. When the Air Superiority Generals took over, it was the F-15 A/C and then the F-22, the aircraft without a mission. Now, the Special Operations Generals take over and they want the biggest and best UAV. They floated the idea of giving the A-10 to the Army, until someone pointed out the money went with it.
When will the AF get a grip on their mission?
The answer, when they promote warriors and throw out desk clerks.
The real answer is likely never.
Translation: Our classy fighter jocks are much too good to handle these gadgets. We need more spiffy manned fighters and these predators are eating our budget.
Isn’t fast. Doesn’t have a pointy nose. Doesn’t have an “F” in the designation.
Of course the USAF doesn’t want it.
The Predator is primarily an tactical reconnaissance aircraft for ground troops, which fits the Army better. The Reaper is more of an armed reconnaissance (what they called reconnaissance-strike in the 1960s) aircraft, which is more suited to the Air Force CAS mission.
I don’t know about this. The Army just committed to buying a WHOLE LOT of Sky-Warriors, which are Predators on steroids, although perhaps not to the extent that Reaper is.
Also, Reaper is like 300% more expensive than Predator, twice as fast, and has twice as many ordinance pylons.
I’m not sure if I like this.
A stupid mentality that keeps the AF irrelevant in this day and age. If not for CAS missions, they'd be glorified delivery truck drivers.
would enable the USAF to afford shifting to an all-MQ-9 Reaper fleet