Being retired USAF and former Aircrew; Never trust a boomer, I've heard they'll stick that probe into anything....

True, but nothing really shows them how much you care quite like a good old fashioned carpet bombing from a group of B-52s. When you care enough to send the very best.....

Since we're cutting machines in half......

I'll have to agree with Baron on one of his points. In this day and age, if you haven't completely eliminated any and all SAM/AAA from the assault zone, then parachuting in units risks losing thew whole force.

I'm with you all the way here. I spent a couple of years of my service assigned to 3 different AOCs/CAOCs. It always shocked me how many people it took just to keep the Air side of operations moving. It really becomes an amalgamation of both capability and brain power. The goal of getting a single day's sorties…

Tyler, the biggest issue going on at the JTFXs is that it everything is being closely watched at all levels by personel tasked with identifying interoperability issues.

It is risk management, not risk aversion. As long as there is appropriate CAP nearby then yes, the A-10s will work in high threat areas. Usually it will be as part of a larger strike package with similar ingress/egress times. The biggest issue for them is SAMS, but they tend to fly to low to be affected by STRAT…

Actually it was, If you get a look into the TU-4 you'll notice that both the control yokes and the rudder pedals are still forged with the "Boeing" logo imprinted on them. Stalin wanted the planes in service in such a rush that he ordered them to be reverse engineered bolt for bolt in order to save time. One of the…

I didn't say that replacing the A-10 with the F35 was a good decision. What I'm saying is that by claiming the F-35 can do the Close Air Support role, the USAF can then start cannibalizing the A-10's resources and funds and rolling them into the F-35's development. Plus The USAF has never really liked the A-10…

The F-35 will continue on through through operation status. And it still stands that no one in a position to do anything about it sides with you or cares about your opinion.

And once again, people far more intelligent than you and in a place to do something about it, have decided to continue development with the program, regardless of what you think about it. It must really get under your skin that no one cares about your opinion , at least no one that matters.....

From my time working in AOCs, one of the biggest things is that that without a large amount of real time intel and BDA ability, targeting lists tend to be far more open to pilot discretion.

And I'm pointing out that for all your remarks about the program, You have absolutely no influence or say on how the DoD moves through its development and funding processes. So yeah, you getting on here and repeatedly whining about it shows your lack of maturity.

Cry some more, your salty tears are delicious.

The super hornets are slated to go as well. They were designed to fill the shortcomings of the original F-18 airframe. However, since the Super Hornets are a much newer airframe with less hours on them, the DoD will continue to keep them operational as long as possible. Both the USN and USMC have mentioned that…

The F-35 is not designed to fill the roles occupied by the F-14 (interceptor) and F-15 (Air Superiority). It is set to fill the niches currently occupied by the F-16/F-18 and AV8. Essentially a replacement for the current fleet of strike fighters.

Perhaps you need a great big heaping dose of this thing the rest of us like to call reality.

Tyler, here is one of the forerunners utilizing the Cobra Judy arrays : http://www.wikiwand.com/en/AN/SPQ-11

They did try this many years ago. Two designs were submitted but nothing really showed any real improvements overall. The 130 is really a jack of all trades and it has filled its niche rather well. But even with the J model, the concept could use a good rethinking.

Tyler, another great article. Here is a blast from the past when they last tried to replace the 130.