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

That is one of the overall best decisions the military has made in quite a while, IMO.

And the enemy just shuttered....:thumbsup:;-)
 
We tend to take what we can when it comes to CAS...but historically the Army loves when the Marines are flying the missions because their job is to support you and they understand it.
 
Red Flag 1 said:
My son went USCM after VMI. He settled in with Combat Eng, and hated anyone providing CAS but Marine Aviators. His opinion of the A-10 was that they should not be in the air. Reason: The pilots were not Marines, and therefore could not provide CAS. We never have been able to find a middle ground in discussing CAS. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

That is a very interesting viewpoint, and not one I've ever heard before.
 
Red Flag 1 said:
I get where he is coming from, and in some ways, I think he is correct. Half way through under grad, he enlisted in the USMC, Parris Island and was a Lance Corporal before he graduated. From there USMC OCS, TBS, and got a slot as a Marine Aviator. His real love was on the ground, living through the grunge with other Marines. So a Combat Engr slot opened up, and there he stayed.

All USMC piolts go through OCS and TBS, I'm not sure about Lawyers, but even pilots know what the Marine on the ground is going through. That shared background, in my son's opinion, makes the Marine Aviators, the best, and most trusted for Close in CAS; and he may be right. Being somewhat of a purist, my son takes that thought all the way out to the end. Why give the USAF pilots the A-10 to provide CAS to pilots who can't provide USMC grade CAS?

In the end, he will grant me that killing tanks is part of the A-10's CAS roll. He will agree that a USAF pilot can safely kill a tank, without risking the lives of Marines, most of the time.
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If there was anyone who understood the ground picture and cared, it's the A-10 drivers. I think it's pretty short sighted to think that only those who have been through ground specific training can perform CAS well. Knowing what the guy on the ground is going through only has much to do with effective CAS anyways. "I understand" does not equate to "I can do my job in an efficient and effective manner and keep friendlies safe". Many, many other factors go into effective CAS beyond what experience the pilot has on the ground. The pilots are a part of the CAS team, not the only player. There is absolutely no reason why the USMC should be the only service performing the CAS mission.
 
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Red Flag 1 said:
I get where he is coming from, and in some ways, I think he is correct. Half way through under grad, he enlisted in the USMC, Parris Island and was a Lance Corporal before he graduated. From there USMC OCS, TBS, and got a slot as a Marine Aviator. His real love was on the ground, living through the grunge with other Marines. So a Combat Engr slot opened up, and there he stayed.

All USMC piolts go through OCS and TBS, I'm not sure about Lawyers, but even pilots know what the Marine on the ground is going through. That shared background, in my son's opinion, makes the Marine Aviators, the best, and most trusted for Close in CAS; and he may be right. Being somewhat of a purist, my son takes that thought all the way out to the end. Why give the USAF pilots the A-10 to provide CAS to pilots who can't provide USMC grade CAS?

In the end, he will grant me that killing tanks is part of the A-10's CAS roll. He will agree that a USAF pilot can safely kill a tank, without risking the lives of Marines, most of the time.
Click to expand...
:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Had a co-worker almost killed by a Marine F/A-18 pilot dropping 500 lbs of happiness way short of the mark.
CAS is more than flying low.
 
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CDG said:
If there was anyone who understood the ground picture and cared, it's the A-10 drivers. I think it's pretty short sighted to think that only those who have been through ground specific training can perform CAS well. Knowing what the guy on the ground is going through only has much to do with effective CAS anyways. "I understand" does not equate to "I can do my job in an efficient and effective manner and keep friendlies safe". Many, many other factors go into effective CAS beyond what experience the pilot has on the ground. The pilots are a part of the CAS team, not the only player. There is absolutely no reason why the USMC should be the only service performing the CAS mission.
Click to expand...

Thinking historically, the big Air Force doesn't care for the tactical fight, but it doesn't want to let the Army have the tactical airframes. As can be seen by the F-35 can fill the role of the A-10 in the fight. Although I will point out that the A-10 wasn't truly built to just hang around, it was built to be tactical support for an armor-on-armor fight. The big Air Force likes flying fighters and bombers, historically speaking.
 
ThunderHorse said:
Thinking historically, the big Air Force doesn't care for the tactical fight, but it doesn't want to let the Army have the tactical airframes. As can be seen by the F-35 can fill the role of the A-10 in the fight. Although I will point out that the A-10 wasn't truly built to just hang around, it was built to be tactical support for an armor-on-armor fight. The big Air Force likes flying fighters and bombers, historically speaking.
Click to expand...
Can you say Key West Agreement?
The Army is just as protective.
 

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