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

[AWP]

The pilots from Charlotte were suspended from flying pending an investigation.

Pilots off flight duty as Air Force investigates low-altitude pass over Charlotte

The Air Force pilots who made a low-altitude pass over Bank of America Stadium and uptown Charlotte on Monday have been restricted from flight duties as the military and the Federal Aviation Administration investigate the incident.

 

[Brill]

Last two Saturdays I've enjoyed watching two ship flights of Warthogs passing overhead. Yesterday a pair was -1000' over the Bay.

Those GE engines sound like the Liberty Bell!

Not my video but something like this:

 

[Ooh-Rah]

Call me crazy "crazy", but shouldn't one make sure that their new toy works right, before one talks about plans to build an equally stealthy tanker to fuel it?

Air Force Could Pursue Stealthy Aerial-Refueling Tanker | Defense News

 

[Gunz]

F-35 has external hard points that the author is ignorant about, or chose to ignore.
F-18 was on the chopping block with wing and main landing gear problems.
I'd challenge anyone to name a fighter fielded in the last 50 years that didn't get a re-design of some sort after being fielded.
I don't see the F-35 as an A-10 replacement, but do see it replacing ( 1 for 1) the F-16.

True. I'm just thinking back to all the hiccups of the AV-8 and the V-22. But those were very challenging V/STOL aircraft. The F-35 seems to be plagued.

 

[Gunz]

Last two Saturdays I've enjoyed watching two ship flights of Warthogs passing overhead. Yesterday a pair was -1000' over the Bay.

Those GE engines sound like the Liberty Bell!

Not my video but something like this:

Nice. 104th FS, 175th Wing, Maryland ANG.

 

[TLDR20]

Last two Saturdays I've enjoyed watching two ship flights of Warthogs passing overhead. Yesterday a pair was -1000' over the Bay.

Those GE engines sound like the Liberty Bell!

Not my video but something like this:

Like I mentioned before I sometimes fly general aviation out of Martin state. I was on my downwind in August when I was Cautioned by ATC " Skyhawkxxxxx caution overflying flight of 4 A-10's passing overhead at 1 thousand 800." Meanwhile I am putting along at 80 knots at 1300 ft. Sure enough 4 A10's overfly us in echelon 500 ft above. Pretty fucking cool.... the sky hawk I was flying has overhead windows, kinda like a sunroof. I felt like a fighter pilot for about 5 seconds as they passed overhead...

 

[TLDR20]

True. I'm just thinking back to all the hiccups of the AV-8 and the V-22. But those were very challenging V/STOL aircraft. The F-35 seems to be plagued.

Yeah the F-35 is a VSTOL aircraft, at least in the one configuration.

 

[ThunderHorse]

True. I'm just thinking back to all the hiccups of the AV-8 and the V-22. But those were very challenging V/STOL aircraft. The F-35 seems to be plagued.

The Chinook had a lot of issues during development.

 

[CDG]

Yeah the F-35 is a VSTOL aircraft, at least in the one configuration.

Not exactly. The F-35B is STOVL capable. Short Takeoff Vertical Landing. There is currently no variant capable of vertical takeoff.

 

[TLDR20]

Not exactly. The F-35B is STOVL capable. Short Takeoff Vertical Landing. There is currently no variant capable of vertical takeoff.

I watched one hover at an air show...

 

[TLDR20]

I watched one hover at an air show...

Not exactly. The F-35B is STOVL capable. Short Takeoff Vertical Landing. There is currently no variant capable of vertical takeoff.

A better way to say that is that it is VTOL capable but is operationally STOVL.

 

[Gunz]

Yeah the F-35 is a VSTOL aircraft, at least in the one configuration.

True, I had forgotten that. Maybe problem-plagued simply because it's supposed to be everybody's everything.

 

[AWP]

Marine requirements are one of many reasons it has had so many issues. The Navy and AF found some ways to make use of the space created for a VTOL capability, but trying to do everything with one airframe was a poor choice.

Overall, the biggest problem with the program is how the program is managed. "Concurrency" is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated by the USG.

 

[DA SWO]

Call me crazy "crazy", but shouldn't one make sure that their new toy works right, before one talks about plans to build an equally stealthy tanker to fuel it?

Air Force Could Pursue Stealthy Aerial-Refueling Tanker | Defense News

AF has said they want two additional tanker variants, so looking at all possibilities makes sense.
KC-46 isn't too far away.

 

[DA SWO]

Marine requirements are one of many reasons it has had so many issues. The Navy and AF found some ways to make use of the space created for a VTOL capability, but trying to do everything with one airframe was a poor choice.

Overall, the biggest problem with the program is how the program is managed. "Concurrency" is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated by the USG.

Gates screwed us on this, Rummy was smart enough to only insist on commonality INSIDE the airframe.

 

[Red Flag 1]

AF has said they want two additional tanker variants, so looking at all possibilities makes sense.
KC-46 isn't too far away.

Maybe we'll be seeing a KC-35

 

[BloodStripe]

Pentagon plans new super rival to the troubled F-35

Here we go! Time for the replacement to begin

 

[pardus]

U.S. Air Force Fires Up the A-10 Depot Line to Keep Warthogs Flying 'Indefinitely'

 

[Grunt]

There are few planes that occupy the skies that strike fear like an A-10! I absolutely love them and what they do. They seriously rain down pain from the sky!

 

[Centermass]

The US Air Force has embraced reality — the A-10 is here to stay ‘indefinitely'

After years of threatening to cut funding to the A-10 program and funnel the money to the newer F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Air Force seems to have finally faced facts — the A-10 is just too effective to get rid of.

Air Force Materiel Command chief Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski recently told AviationWeek that the depot line that maintains and repairs the Air Force's 283 A-10s has been reopened to full capacity.

“They have re-geared up, we’ve turned on the depot line, we’re building it back up in capacity and supply chain,” said Pawlikowski. “Our command, anyway, is approaching this as another airplane that we are sustaining indefinitely.”

The move also follows trials initiated by the Air Force to determine if the F-35 or A-10 better executes the close air support role, which suggest that the A-10 came out on top.

The Government Accountability Office debunked the Air Force generals' contentions that the A-1o could be replaced, arguing that the plane's low flight costs, unique airframe, and hyper competent, impeccably trained pilot community was without peer in today's Air Force.

Full Story


Nice to finally see something with some common sense prevail.