The people to ask are the grunts on the ground, pinned down under fire from a superior enemy force. We should ask them when they call in for DANGER CLOSE ordnance delivery would they rather tlk to an A10 driver who can see them in the trees or would they rather have some airman dropping a few 500-pounders from 50,000ft. I think I can guess that answer.
Good answer. The A-10 driver is relying upon 20 year old tech to pickle his ordinance. Other aircraft, not as much. Today an aircraft at 50K can hit a small CEP target with munitions.
Personally, a grunt on the ground, I don’t care what platform delivers the help so long as it gets there in a timely and effective manner. A-10. B-52. Piper Cub. If they can do it they are my best bud.
A Specter gun ship would probably do better than the A-10 at attacking ground forces but is very vulnerable to anti aircraft artillery and missiles.
For that reason the operate mainly at night.