There is a place and a roll for the turboprop aircraft. Close air support, where air superiority is already established, is an excellent role. You can buy lots of them, and they do not require the groomed, longer runways that jet aircraft require. Excellent for guerilla warfare ( and you can get warrant officers to fly them )
HERETIC!
An American pilot is a commissioned officer, steely of jaw, eagle of eye, fearless, and goes nowhere in a plane that cannot shoot down other planes at 720mph+, preferably closer to 1200mph. Aircraft such as this A-29 pansy-plane, (which of course is an updated Siaia Marchetti from Brazil,my god an Brazilian FIAT for gosh sakes) and the ridiculously slow (an uncool looking) A-10 have NO, None, Nein Place in the arsenal of democracy. Warrant Officers indeed, it's bad enough they let those boys and girl fly, noisy shaky helicopters.
Imagine loitering about some god-forsaken battle field for hours @ 150mph in some plane powered by a propeller, (LOL)droning about waiting for some chap on the the ground to vector you in at 50 ft just to terminate some scrotum-faced Third Worlder with an RPG or a mortar. Ridiculous.
Here's how it should work. (a)Hysterical chap on the ground (you know how those people are!) overestimates resistance (b)Calls The Pentagon (c)which calls the pRresident on the golf course (d)who calls Valerie Jarrett (e) who calls Leon Pannetta (f) who calls General Petraeus or his replacement if he can be located (g) they approve the target selection (h)local AWACS gets the word to us pilots (i) who rendezvous with a tanker at 35,000 ('cause heh heh, seems we ran low on fuel while waiting)(j) then make a pass at 700mph and drop a laser-guided bomb on the problem. Problem solved!
Slow-moving helicopters (pfui) piloted by warrant officers (pfui) evacuate the casualties. Another day's work ... back to base. And you are suggesting what? My God what next, a be-back on the Army Air Corps?
BTW, I am not against progress. I can even handle the drones concept, provided they are steered by rated flying officers!