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Originally Posted by B.Smitty
The A-10s ability to taking battle damage is overrated, IMHO. Even if it does limp home, it's going to spand days or weeks or longer being repaired, and every day it sits out is two or more sorties lost.
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Look at the pix above. LOL......A Tornado would've been toast.
In fact, during ODS, the Tornado proved to be EXTREMELY vulnerable to ground fire, suffering the 2d highest loss rate of any type used in the war.
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Originally Posted by B.Smitty
It's far preferable to not get hit in the first place, meaning don't fly low - the A-10's bread-n-butter.
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The hog is fully capable of medium-alt ops like every other US combat aircraft.
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Originally Posted by B.Smitty
What happens when it's raining with low cloud cover? Does the A-10 have a radar with a high-res SAR mode? No. Terrain following radar? No. Radar? No.
Does the A-10s go deep to hit strategic targets? Can it perform SEAD? Can it carry a recc pod? Does it carry any cruise missiles? Can it carry and use a BVR AAM? Anti-ship missiles? Can it carry nukes?
All no.
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LOL. wow, i have hardly seen you be so wrong on so many things all at once.
Yes A10s perform SEAD. A10s have performed SEAD in
COMBAT(used extensively in the role during ODS as a matter of fact).
Would you call "SCUD HUNTING" in W.Iraq
'going deep to hit a strategic target'? I would.
LASTE is a radar operated system. I bet you don't even know what it does though, lol. Because of LASTE the A-10 has the most accurate and most employable gun system of any fighter in the world.
Oh, btw....the A10 is(or at least was at one time) cleared for the B61 nuclear gravity bomb.
The Hog also performs FAC-A and CSAR too(and not just performs, but is almost TOTALLY ideal for those two roles). Should we hold it against the Tornado that it can't do either (anywhere near) as well as the Hog?
The topic is best strike aircraft. Shooting at ships is an entirely different kind of mission. Akin to saying the F15E is the better strike plane because it's a highly capable dual role A2A fighter as well.(BTW, in close and down low an A10 will outturn an F16C, and would run circles around a Tornado). I would not want to be on a ship shot full of A10 fired Mavericks and 30mm APDS rounds though. You?
If there's low cloud cover the A10 can simply fly under it. As you've seen, the A10 is fully capable of flying BELOW treetop level.
The A10C has all the latest passive sensor systems available.
There is simply no need for radar on a the Hog. The USAF operates the JSTARS, so if bad weather radar cueing is the order of the day, the A10 is still 100% mission capable even in zero visibility.
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Originally Posted by B.Smitty
Gr4s can carry up to 18 Brimstone anti-tank missiles, so they're no slouches when it comes to killing armor.
The A-10 is a CAS bird with limited interdiction capabilities. OTOH, the Gr4 can do it all.
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Trying to compare the CAS 'abilities'(cough, cough) of the Tornado IDS to the A-10 is LAUGHABLE.
The A-10 being low and slow has the ability to persist and put EYEBALLS on the actual target, making pass after pass to ensure that the target is destroyed or suppressed, even in the face of intense AAA and SAM fire.
As far as 'doing it all', perhaps you will point me to the Tornado IDS sqns with an air superiority misison. How about the Tornado Sqn with a FAC-A role. The Sqn with a CSAR role?
Oh......right.......they don't exist, becuase the Tornado can't 'do it all'.
Perhaps you can show me the pix of Tornados operating from rough unprepared forward airstrips like A10s
routinely do?
LOL...
Can a Tornado give close escort to air assault forces like this A10 is doing?
No.
OA-10A providing close escort and defense suppression for MH-60 Pavehawk