Just a reminder of Kelly Johnson’s unwritten 15th rule, as adapted to 2016:

“Can they make it capable for long-range missions AND close-range air support? And possibly a special version for the Marines?”

comments back to you...

“A-10s provide only 20% of the total CAS support...”

I never have understood why the Navy’s Army needs its very own Air Force.

I’m not sure that the Army has the infrastructure or organization to absorb the A-10. The better solution is for the Secretary of Defense to appoint an Air Force Chief of Staff who understands that the Air Force role includes more than stealth pointy-nose aircraft.

OK, good points all.

Right, but that was the same type of environment - mobile short to medium range missile systems with radar - that the A-10 would have faced when it was introduced to combat Soviet armor advances across Europe.
Pantsir and Tor are current examples of those systems. Pantsir is more of a point defense system like Hawk.…

Unfortunately, in a world where Russia is rapidly allowing S300 and S400 systems to proliferate, the A-10 may also not be able to do it’s job as well as the A-10 has.

Could our elected leaders say “Too bad, you are keeping the A-10.” ?

This is the worst fucking idea that I’ve heard this week.

Thanks to Llondon for posting this first.... what an absolutely great picture...

Polish MiG-29 Pays Tribute to B-52

A-10 overload. Thanks Jerry!

Isn’t this a decloaking picture?

kind of reminds me of an M-60 drifting down a cobble stone street in the middle of a village in Bavaria one winter’s night. The gasthaus on the corner got a new front door, and window, and tables and chairs.

“Can we make a machine that does that autonomously and call it “the Samaritan”?

“...interesting long game of attrition to play...”

big points for using a trebuchet reference...

“...eventually they’re going to do something stupid, even if it’s accidental.”