[AndyJackson]

Great fan of Rutan and his aircraft, BUT, THAT is not a replacement for the A-10 either in terms of amount of firepower it can carry, nor in survivability. I doubt that thing will return when you know out an engine (oops, only 1) and half the airframe.

[Bobalu]

A ground attack jet needs ARMOR, not stealth.

A large payload capacity is a must.

TWO engines is a must.

[Doogle]

....the A-10 is too mean....too effective...too well liked by the troops...that’s why Odungos generals
wanted to scrap it....

[Rockingham]

Apparently, the Air Force is thinking of keeping a limited fleet of updated A-10s in service while acquiring a new surveillance and ground attack aircraft for low-intensity conflicts in uncontested airspace. The new aircraft is expected to be cheap to operate and to bring new capabilities while sparing the A-10 fleet and its aging airframes from burning through their remaining service life.

The Air Force seems to have had a change of heart about the A-10 after discovering in simulations and exercises that it was particularly effective when paired with the F-35. Such pairings are said to have tested out as unusually successful in retrieving downed pilots. Cynically, one might even say that the A-10 has a new mission: helping save the F-35.