Posted on 04/09/2015 10:24:33 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
I had friends who were part of Desert Storm. They swore by the A-10 as a support vehicle....
Interesting. I suppose that means "...except for planes on aircraft carriers."
“I had friends who were part of Desert Storm. They swore by the A-10 as a support vehicle....”
Who doesn’t? Even the Russians admire the A-10. It’s Congress who refuses to provide the funding to keep the A-10 in service. The Air Force is just the whipping boy used to break the bad news sent out by Congress. Also note that the Obama Administration proposed a budget that will cut another third out of the Defense budget in the next ten years. So, the A-10 squadrons are not the first nor the last of the essential military and naval air squadrons who are going to be retired if the Congress enacts that or a comparable budget. If you want to blame someone for what is happening to the A-10 squadrons and many of our other air force, naval, and army squadrons indispensable to our ground forces and other forces; look no father than yourself, your Congressman, your U.S. Senator, and the people presently occupying the White House.
Yep.
An agreement made in another time that has no place in our military structure.
Formed in the demobilization following WWII the newly formed USAF grabbed as much power as it could in a drastically reduced force size.
It was also a time that the newly developed helicopter was viewed as useful only for observation and light medical evac. Kind of similar to beginnings of fixed wing aircraft. A role that the AF was willing to concede to its mother service not envisioning the advances in size, performance, and armaments possible.
The bomber and fighter crowd saw the rotor craft as a sort of flying jeep, too lowly for them.
Technology started significantly changing the game only during the Viet Nam war IIRC.
It’s long past time to re-evaluate and re-assign assests. And because of entrenched power structures within the military that will not voluntariy surrender their ricebowels the change has to come from civilian authority.
Frankly, this is why we still need to design and procure specialty aircraft.
“Interesting. I suppose that means “...except for planes on aircraft carriers.”
The context referred to the disposition of the aircraft formerly under the authority of the Army Air Forces and the other branches of the Army.
“An agreement made in another time that has no place in our military structure.”
Before you go around making a lot of derogatory remarks about the agreements and leaping into all sorts of false conclusions that make you comments look silly, you ought to make yourself acquainted with the full subject, including the fact that the Key West Agreement of 1948 was heavily modified by subsequent agreements in 1954, 1963, and so forth to the present day. That is why the Department of the Navy and the War Department were long ago subordinated to a new Department of Defense. The DoD has been responsible for the further evolution of the combined arms doctrine with the further development of joint services planning, operations, and support. Joint service has been a reality for some decades now and has proven its worth in multifold ways. See this article for just such an example:
thanks
Talk to door gunner post 11
I was responding to door gunner in post 11
Too much f’ng politics in these decisions.
I agree. If the Air Force doesn’t want the A-10, give it to the Army. But the Air Force doesn’t want that either. The decision making, for the most part, in both services is by the warfighters - combat arms for army and pilots for Air Force. Air Force pilots think the A-10 is a joke; it’s not sexy and super fast. They need to step back and remember that the mission is about saving American lives and killing the enemy.
As an ex F-100 Weapons guy, I thank you for that little reminder.
You’re most welcome. An F-100 TFW was my original host. Once had the distinct privilege of a flight in the backseat of the F-100F.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=296
“I agree. If the Air Force doesn’t want the A-10, give it to the Army. But the Air Force doesn’t want that either. The decision making, for the most part, in both services is by the warfighters - combat arms for army and pilots for Air Force. Air Force pilots think the A-10 is a joke; it’s not sexy and super fast. They need to step back and remember that the mission is about saving American lives and killing the enemy.”
Why are you repeating those lies and defaming the Air Force despite all of the evidence to the contrary, including the prior posts in this and the earlier FR articles?
I still maintain that the F-35 cannot fulfill the mission of the A-10. The F-35 is not the be all do all is is promoted to be.
Living up to your FRName, eh...?
Are you a pilot or an anti-air spec?
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