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!KJHro3/ISM 07/13/10(Tue)10:57 No.11109601 File1279033035.jpg-(443 KB, 2100x1500, 1159220443156.jpg)
Wow, a lot of false facts about the A-10 in here...
What a lot of people don't seem to get, or maybe just one person, is that an A-10 has to loiter, turn, come into zone, fire, and depart. The same as any other jet, or UAV for that matter. It is not some magical being that appears delivering fire support quickly. If you want a low level aircraft to deliver fire support, quickly, nearly instantly, operating in a zone that has no air defense of note, well the AC-130 already exists.
The F-16 and the F-15 can provide the same level of support as an A-10, and, as a benefit, they can be used in other roles as well. From an efficiency standpoint, the A-10 is not useful anymore. As to the gun, a 30mm gun is not a huge deal for aircraft. Russian aircraft fly with 30mm cannons, the MiG-27 was famous for it's cannon being exceptionally powerful (to the point of breaking the airplane it was strapped to). The Europeans have been using the DEFA and other 30mm cannons for a long time. Now, ammunition load wise, the A-10 has covered, but the truth is that cannon kills are rare these days. It's safer, easier, more reliable, etc, to use ATG missiles and LGBs.
As to the A-10 survivability, it's an aircraft, it is armoured in the cockpit area, but the rest of it is just a plane. Most fighters have triple redundancy, and you can find a video of an F-15 having lost a full wing and returning to base. So the A-10 ruggedness is a bit overplayed. Since they spend more time low, they'll probably take a lot more shooting too, unlike jets which can get in and out of zone faster. |