The AC-130 might cost a little bit more to operate but it can loiter all day and project an obscene amount of firepower. Of course, it can only be used in permissive airspace but that is also true for the A-10.

The F-15E has run more sorties against ISIS than the A-10 and dropped a larger percentage of ordinance on ISIS. “Getting down in the mud” is a senseless thing to do when it is possible to engage targets from a distance reliably and accurately.

I’m not selling anything. I’m just pointing out that the F-16 (and other fighter jets like the F-15E) have been used to fill CAS missions for a long time now. The idea that you can perform CAS with a fighter jet is not a radical idea. It is an idea that has been in practice for some time now.

If you understand then why are you so upset about the A-10 being retired? For the vast majority of CAS situations, the F-16 is just as good as the A-10. And for the few situations where you need something different, you have the Apache. The point is that there are enough different systems in play that removing just…

When has it ever been different from that?

You realize that the F-16 actually performs a large percentage of CAS missions right? This is not some radical concept that I am coming up with. This is something that has been done for years.

We have reached the point where bombs are actually more accurate than the gun.

What sort of mission can the A-10 perform that the F-16 cannot? You realize that the F-16 actually performs a higher percentage of CAS missions right?

As long as the target is hit, then why does it even matter where the plane is? Cut out all the emotion. All that matters is whether or not the plane can hit the target. If the answer is NO then yeah you have to get in closer. But if you can have the aircraft hit the target from a distance then that is even better…

We can do that now. F-16C, F-15E, B-1B already do this.

Same way it works with the F-16 or F-15E.

Given how much American equipment given to Iraq has ended up with ISIS......it’s probably for the best that A-10's were never gifted to Iraq.

You really need to just accept that jets like the F-16 already perform CAS missions all the time. It is not unique to the A-10. This fixation on the A-10 is not justified. And when the F-35 takes over for the F-16, the situation will be the same.

Yes, you can.

You realize the A-10 actually has the highest rate of friendly fire incidents, right?

You underestimate the accuracy of modern PGM’s.

The question is if that criteria is the right criteria to be emphasizing in 2016. Imagine if Congress started mandating the Navy to build more ships with 16-inch guns to replace the Iowa-class.

There is a big problem with treating the cannon as a sacred cow. How often do you expect that A-10's would actually be performing gun-runs in a peer conflict? Sounds like a quick and easy way to get shot down by a shoulder-fired missile.

Because that’s not their mission.

F-35 Max Payload: 8100 kg