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Thursday, December 11, 2014

Off They Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder

The Air Force still wants to retire the A-10 and the defenders of that decision don't think much of A-10 defenders:

The Air Force's 2015 budget proposal to retire the A-10 Warthog—famed for its fearsome 30 mm gun and rugged survivability—elicited a firestorm of protest from A-10 fans and some ground troop supporters—many of whom seem unwilling to accept any other USAF platform for delivering close air support.

Oh, so close! But that charge against A-10 "fans" falls outside the circular error probable (CEP).

Closer to the mark is that those who support keeping the A-10 are unwilling to accept any other USAF platform for delivering close air support that the Air Force actually has or will have in the near future.

A subtle difference, I know.

I'm not even fully on board the notion that the F-35 can handle the sir superiority mission.

But I'm not even as confident as that for the close air support mission. Supporters of retiring the A-10 are resorting to sheer nonsense to defend that bad decision.

The Air Force says the words, but their spending decisions demonstrate how little they think of close air support.

Sorry, I get a little emotional about the subject.

Heck, there's even a crappy Internet video that is inciting A-10 defenders.

Meanwhile, the A-10 has been ordered to support the renewed Iraq War.