Quote Originally Posted by Gman View Post
Capable of what, militarily speaking? Not a good fighter, not a good ground attack aircraft, not a good close air support aircraft...but it's stealthy!

Way too expensive. I'd rather see more aircraft with more capability for that money.
I'm not arguing that it isn't a bloated program that costs far too much for each aircraft. I'm a taxpayer too.

As far as capability, it's hard to quantify because it doesn't have an operational record yet. From what I saw, it is extremely effective at air-to-air and air-to-ground engagements. I don't understand how you can say that it's not a good fighter or ground attack aircraft - What are your qualifications? What is your experience with it? Not a personal attack by any means - I'm just wondering how you've formulated your opinion.

Anyone who knows anything about modern CAS knows that it is dependent on the munitions available and the F-35 can deliver the same guided munitions as an MQ-1/MQ-9, F-16, F-22, F-18, F-15, or A-10. It can deliver those munitions more effectively than an A-10 due to the both onboard tech and the stealth tech. The A-10 is so effective in CENTCOM right now because it has a VERY limited number of threats. Very rarely are A-10s being shot at by SAMs. In a contested theater with a real enemy, SAMs are a huge threat and the F-35 is several orders of magnitude harder to target than the A-10.

Speaking of those munitions, the F-35 can carry more than 18,000lbs of them in it's air-to-ground attack role. The A-10 can only carry 16,000lbs. In an air engagement, the A-10 is extremely vulnerable.

Is the A-10 really badass? Yep. Did I initially join the Air Force to fly the A-10? Yep. Is it easier and cheaper to maintain? Yep. Is it doing the job we need it to do in the theater its in right now? Yep. Do I pee a little bit every time I hear that gun? Maybe...

Is the A-10 the right airframe to fight our future wars? I don't think so. It's served us well, but not every engagement is going to be against an insurgent group in a wasteland. Should we retire the A-10 tomorrow? Definitely not.