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Re: The taxpayers got a bargain much bigger than they bargained for... 

By: Zimbler0 in FFFT | Recommend this post (2)
Mon, 24 Mar 14 7:19 PM | 61 view(s)
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Msg. 62189 of 65535
(This msg. is a reply to 62184 by oldCADuser)

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The A-10 warthog is the air support weapon of choice
over in Afghanistan.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20140319.aspx

While the A-10 is the most popular ground support aircraft to most soldiers and marines, close air support has evolved over the last decade to using smart bombs or missiles most of the time. To reflect this all A-10s have been upgraded to handle smart bombs. This includes targeting pods that enable A-10s to spot targets while at higher (over 3,000 meters) altitudes. That puts them out of range of small arms and many anti-aircraft weapons. Although the A-10 was built for ground support (using a 30mm rotary cannon) that was intended for shooting up Russian tanks during World War 3 in Europe. That never happened and in 2013 the last A-10 left Europe. But in Iraq and Afghanistan troops appreciated the ability to call in an A-10 for a strafing run. A few hundred 30mm rounds not only did a lot of damage but it also tended to demoralize the enemy and make it easier to capture them alive or drive them away. Smart bombs and missiles tended to leave fewer prisoners and were not as scary and the roar and loud buzz of a low-flying A-10 using its 30mm autocannon.

>>>

I suspect that the rest of what you posted is just
as inaccurate.
Zim.




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Mad Poet Strikes Again.


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The above is a reply to the following message:
Re: The taxpayers got a bargain much bigger than they bargained for...
By: oldCADuser
in FFFT
Mon, 24 Mar 14 8:40 AM
Msg. 62184 of 65535

And paying $600,000 per job saved, with much of it going to an Israeli company (who now owns the rights to the A-10 and who would likely gain the most from the new spares business and servicing contracts) just to keep some aging A-10's flying at a bunch of Air National Guards units (the Air Force stopped flying A-10's some time ago, transferring them all to the Guard units, so they're not even part of our first-line-of-defense any more), do you think that would be a good use of taxpayer's money?


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