Devildoc
Verified Military
It shatters my paradigm of "low and slow"....
A sad day for the soldier/seaman/airman on the ground.... (A-10/CAS Discussion)
- Thread starter Kraut783
- Start date
Nothing sez 'Murica better than a freaking B1B.
Kraut783
SOF Support
sooooo...let's retro fit the B-1, but not build a solid A-10 upgrade/replacement 
sooooo...let's retro fit the B-1, but not build a solid A-10 upgrade/replacement
I took this as more of an IP protection issue or a "hey, don't retire the B-1 because we can use tham as gunships" type of thing.
Just load 'em up with SDB's and let them loiter over the battlefield. Not as good as an A-10, but they can employ about 300,000* of those in one sortie....when the crews and JTAC learn their jobs and don't kill friendlies.
* - Actual numbers are a bit less
Kraut783
SOF Support
Why not. Lockheed has the contract to build the HELIOS system for the Navy...I could see an airborne version eventually coming out of that program, especially given the near-billion dollars of incentives on the table.
Talk about precision in the CAS role...
The F-35 has flown its first combat mission, but details are pretty scarce.
Everything We Know (And Don’t Know) About Israel Launching World’s First Air Strikes Using The F-35 Stealth Aircraft
Everything We Know (And Don’t Know) About Israel Launching World’s First Air Strikes Using The F-35 Stealth Aircraft
I think it is pretty safe to say that Israel has mastered the art of SEAD in their AO.
You can depend on Israel to make the best use of its armaments. In decades past, when the US was stingy and France cut off military aid, the Israelis have had to make-do. One of their major successes in the critical Yom Kippur War was the quick turn-around time of salvaging, repairing and returning tanks, aircraft and other assets to the battlefront.
If they have it, they will use it.
If they have it, they will use it.
What's interesting though is they flew it in an area with the most sophisticated Russian SAM batteries available. On one hand, we know what the -35 can do and on the other it opens itself up to being studied on any radar files the Russians may have from that night. Interesting development.
While that data will be useful, it also wasn't employed in the exact same manner/environment that we'd be using it. The 35 has it's litany of issues stemming specifically from a combination of being a joint service/role fighter/bomber, and it's deviation in many ways from past airframes. It does bring some interesting capacities to the fight, and loses some when compared to legacy platforms in the same role.
"The Strange Notch"
FWIW
Strange notches on the F-35 raise questions about its first tastes of combat with Israel's air force
FWIW
Strange notches on the F-35 raise questions about its first tastes of combat with Israel's air force
Devildoc
Verified Military
They used the shit out of the A-4. Those are hard as hell to break, a SAM not withstanding.
Just ask John McCain
I think the AF F-35's will ultimately be successful, not sure about the Navy or Marine variants.
Devildoc
Verified Military
...and Stockdale. 280-something A4s were shot down over VN. But those things were built like brick shithouses, could take a beating.
RE: Marine Corps F-35, I really have not followed the program, but at the last air show at Cherry Point I was asking the demo pilot about it, he loved the technology, but said it was going to be hard to replace the Harrier and a lot of the pilots felt the same way. To be fair it could have been good ol' fashioned nostalgia talking, I dunno.....
A4s..."Scooters." 
Never worked with Scooters. But we did do CAS with F4s and A1's (Spads).
The C's and B's will be made to work no matter what...because there's already $170-$180 billion in non-recoverable over-budget expenditures. With that kind of money sunk into a project, it will be shoved through production, design flaws notwithstanding.
Never worked with Scooters. But we did do CAS with F4s and A1's (Spads).The C's and B's will be made to work no matter what...because there's already $170-$180 billion in non-recoverable over-budget expenditures. With that kind of money sunk into a project, it will be shoved through production, design flaws notwithstanding.
