Say It Ain't So, GI Joe!

What will we do without the A10? We still need close air support to protect our troops. Look what it did in Iraq recently.

The United States Army had arrived at a Tigris River bridge on the edge of Baghdad to find Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers positioned at the other end. A deadly crossfire ensued. A call for help went out, and despite heavy clouds and fog, down the river came two A-10's at an altitude of less than 1,000 feet, spitting out a mix of armor-piercing and explosive bullets at the rate of 3,900 rounds per minute. The Iraqi resistance was obliterated. This was a classic case of "close air support."

I cannot believe the Army will rely on fighters firing from standoff range. The A10 gives the Army what it needs: A tank with wings that is heavily armed, heavily armored, flies low, and has a long loitering time.

the F-35's price tag means the Air Force will not jeopardize the aircraft by sending it low where an enemy with an AK-47 can bring it down. (Yes, the aircraft will be that vulnerable.)

Check out this JINSA article on the A10, "the whistling death".

Rather than being streamlined for aerodynamic efficiency, the A-10 was literally designed around the massive 30mm cannon created specifically for the A-X program — the General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger gun system. Fully loaded, with ammunition drum and loading mechanisms attached, the GAU-8/A measures more than 20 feet long and weighs almost 4,000 lbs. The Gatling gun fires a mix of depleted uranium (DU) and high-explosive (HE) shells, each nearly a foot in length, at a rate of over 3,900 rounds per minute — fast enough to expend a combat load in less than 15 seconds. Used against armored vehicles, the GAU-8/A shreds conventional armor plate and overwhelms even the latest reactive armor, providing just enough brute force and lack of finesse to alienate the core of the U.S. Air Force.