All the sensitive electronics surrounded by an armored bathtub, makes sense to me.

1. Nobody is going to be carrying external stores for a mission that requires a stealth component, but I think, from your posts, that you already know that. His point was simply that the F-35 can still do “regular plane stuff” once the enemy’s AA/AD capability has been degraded.

Modern radar is so sensitive that it can detect

The A-10 can definitely use external fuel tanks, but was not certified to use them in combat for a long time for some reason. They are certified now though, but don’t know what they are using in actual combat.

I really like what Textron is doing here. It’s a nice design, although it’s still a prototype that has yet to be vetted.

Could you imagine A-10 Warthogs with a solid state laser being designed for 5th and 6th generation aircraft? The vehicle has more than enough plant and payload to handle it and the generator, and the lasers could vaporize nearly any kind of ordnance that A-10 Warthogs are actually susceptible to.

You’re arguing a strawman.

Seriously. Imagine how much ALIS is going to change future aircraft? (Potentially)

Tucano is a nice bird, has the advantage that half the worlds military pilots flown it at some point in there career as it’s also an excellent training aircraft for fast jet pilots.

SDB is pretty much the perfect weapon for real fast movers doing CAS

Eh, I wouldn’t mind the F-35 in a situation like North Korea, either. It doesn’t have to be peer state or near peer.

The US already flies the AT-802U in anti-drug missions in South America. An aircraft with armor, 8,000 lb tactical load, 800nm range and 10 hour loiter time.

Don’t for get about this one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Ame…

It’s good but it doesn’t pack the punch of the warthog. No reason we couldn’t have both though.

yawn

Oh, man, I have some bad news for you about the early days of the F-16...

Any article where the summation is “A-10 Good, F-35 Bad” is an easy way to keep the crowd here from breaking out the torches and pitchforks over the prospect of Gawker crossposts and “Check out these awesome jets taking off!” clickbait filling the page.

You demonize the Brass, but what about the clown politicians we have in congress pretty much grinding this country into the ground. Idiots like them got the f22 canceled and now we are begging for more.

Fact: 80 percent of close air support in Iraq and Afganistan was conducted by planes other than the A10. The B1 carries much more ordinance and can loiter longer. The B1 was responsible for 40% of all CAS alone. Don't tell me the A10 is the be all do all. CAS is a mission, not a plane.

The F-35 will be as effective and more a CAS platform than the A-10, Marine AV8b and F-16 ( some but not all of our aircraft tasked with CAS). The issue is COIN ops and low threat environments and not wanting to use big money items against against civilians\militia\shitheads and their pee shooters. The “ISIS scenario”…