>>Of course the USAF tried to get rid of the A-10; that's because they
>>hate the (nonetheless vital) "ground attack/close air support"
>>mission. It's not sexy enough. Maybe we should revive
>>the Army Air Corps, so the zoomies can stop bitching, get their feet
>>out of the mud, and go back to playing at being knights of the air -
>>at least until UAVs finally make them obsolete.
>
>I think its more the brass that hate it than the pilots. Once they
>fire the 30mm and shred a target tank for the first time, I would
>think most pilots would love the thing. It epitomizes 'more power'.

The A-10C upgrade pretty much makes the whole 'the USAF hates it' argument moot. It extends the service life to at least 2028, and possibly longer. The F-35 is 'supposed' to replace it, but it's dirt cheap to operate the A-10 in comparison, so odds are probably good it'll be around for a long time.

	Chad Collier Smirking Kilrathi The Captain of the Gravy Train