A sad day for the soldier/seaman/airman on the ground.... (A-10/CAS Discussion)

Honestly, the aircraft would have had about 9000 less problems as an airframe across the board if it didn't require that VTOL/STOL component and instead could just cat launch and hook land. The AF wouldn't probably care much about having a slightly more robust airframe to handle that. Throw in the VTOL that's where shit goes off the rails. Fuckin Marines. LOL
 
DA SWO said:
I think the AF F-35's will ultimately be successful, not sure about the Navy or Marine variants.
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Why do you say that? I think the C will be successful in that the Navy can now penetrate deeper with stealth technology.

The B is the biggest question mark. It has to work for the MAGTF but I feel as if of needs that A canon to really help it. Perhaps a near future laser will be fitted.
 
Thrust vectoring is tricky. It was with the AV8. But the 35 has a lot of other issues, like structural weakness etc. Even the half-million dollar helmets have been a problem.
 
- The B model VTOL requirement screwed the program. They should have had two fuselage designs, A/C and B, with common components like the wings, "tailfeathers", etc.

- Assuming the IAF used the -35's stealth characteristics, the Syrians and Russians have a VERY robust and layered air defense network. Operating in that environment is pretty analogous to what they can expect elsewhere. The Syrians/ Russians have everything from old SA-5's to the newest models, of everything, use mobile SAMs, vary their radiation patterns, use AWACS, etc.

- The -35's become too big to fail. Eventually the bugs willbe worked out, but at what cost financially and in capabilities like the loss of the A-10 or other cuts required to feed the beast? Even the Navy's realized Super Hornets/ Rhinos will be in service beyond 2030.

- No other nation can match our stealth aircraft. Even the new generation of Chinese aircraft are 5-10 years away from being fully operational and we're already looking beyond that.
 
Color me shocked:
...and there is now evidence to suggest the service maybe be manipulating the test parameters to favor the stealthy fifth-generation fighter jet.
 
DA SWO said:
As long as the AF can define CAS as dropping bombs, heaven help the team needing multiple gun runs to save their ass.
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Amen. Sometimes slower and lower gets the rounds where the need to be with less chance of killing your friends.
 
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And why do we need a stealth platform for CAS? C'mon guys....you have the best ever CAS platform and your just pissing it away...it has a niche...expand on the design, update it...whatever. Just DO IT.
 
Lack of a target indicator beyond their own networks of our flot? Afg/iraq and even everything since oh vietnam has us confusing the circumstsnces. There will be a future conflict where the enemy will have enough, or enough tech, to sustain birds in the air over our heads. Then CAS becomes double duty.
 
Kraut783 said:
And why do we need a stealth platform for CAS? C'mon guys....you have the best ever CAS platform and your just pissing it away...it has a niche...expand on the design, update it...whatever. Just DO IT.
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Stealth isn't being sold as a CAS feature, CAS will be secondary for the F-35, just like CAS isn't the F-16's (original) primary mission.
 
Not sure if it was here or somewhere else. But I remember someone saying that our air dominance in the GWOT was something of a fluke, due to our enemies lack of military infrastructure. When we end up fighting a near peer adversary, who can effectively contest the skies, maybe stealth might be more important in a CAS setting. On the other hand, our adversaries have the blueprints for the f-35 and are actively working on countering our shiny new fighter.

Sucks that the Air Force brass is being douchey with the A-10, considering they're throwing all the proverbial eggs (not jut CAS) in the F-35 basket. I get the feeling we are going to be majory fucked, when the Russians and Chinese crack the F-35's design shell.
 
R.Caerbannog said:
Not sure if it was here or somewhere else. But I remember someone saying that our air dominance in the GWOT was something of a fluke, due to our enemies lack of military infrastructure. When we end up fighting a near peer adversary, who can effectively contest the skies, maybe stealth might be more important in a CAS setting. On the other hand, our adversaries have the blueprints for the f-35 and are actively working on countering our shiny new fighter.

Sucks that the Air Force brass is being douchey with the A-10, considering they're throwing all the proverbial eggs (not jut CAS) in the F-35 basket. I get the feeling we are going to be majory fucked, when the Russians and Chinese crack the F-35's design shell.
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SecDef Gates made that decision.
 
R.Caerbannog said:
Not sure if it was here or somewhere else. But I remember someone saying that our air dominance in the GWOT was something of a fluke, due to our enemies lack of military infrastructure. When we end up fighting a near peer adversary, who can effectively contest the skies, maybe stealth might be more important in a CAS setting. On the other hand, our adversaries have the blueprints for the f-35 and are actively working on countering our shiny new fighter.

Sucks that the Air Force brass is being douchey with the A-10, considering they're throwing all the proverbial eggs (not jut CAS) in the F-35 basket. I get the feeling we are going to be majory fucked, when the Russians and Chinese crack the F-35's design shell.
Click to expand...


Classified data was not compromised. Apparently.
 

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