Moderatore: Staff md80.it
“We do it with the greatest of reluctance. It’s a budgetary matter,” James said of the recommendation to retire the plane.
“Every aircraft eventually gives way to the next generation.”
Fonte ..... "Air Force to sideline 18 A-10s this year" .....The Air Force will remove 18 A-10s from its active flight lines as continues its push to retirethe Warthogs domestically.
The service will also transition an F-16 squadron to the F-35 earlier than planned.
Both moves are intended to free up maintainers to transition to the F-35 and meet the deadline to have the Joint Strike Fighter operational in 2016.
Fonte ..... "NATO Commander Glad to Have A-10s Back In Europe" .....Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove said Wednesday that the addition of A-10 Thunderbolts to his forces in Europe provided added deterrent as NATO and the U.S. European Command face new threats from Russia.
“It is clear that the capabilities these aircraft bring is needed” in the current environment, Breedlove, the supreme allied commander of NATO, said of the A-10s at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.
Beh, nell'ipotesi di dover fronteggiare i carri russi, cosa c'è di meglio di un caccia carri come l' A-10?richelieu ha scritto:Anche il Comandante Supremo della NATO ..... un generale a quattro stelle dell' Air Force nonché ex pilota da caccia (F-16) .....
http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/D ... dlove.aspx
..... si dichiara quanto mai soddisfatto della loro presenza in Europa .....
Fonte ..... "NATO Commander Glad to Have A-10s Back In Europe" .....Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove said Wednesday that the addition of A-10 Thunderbolts to his forces in Europe provided added deterrent as NATO and the U.S. European Command face new threats from Russia.
“It is clear that the capabilities these aircraft bring is needed” in the current environment, Breedlove, the supreme allied commander of NATO, said of the A-10s at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/02/25/na ... in-europe/
AYOTTE for President 2016 .....
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Tremendamente preciso e distruttivo. Poi c'erano gli innumerevoli carichi alari eFonte ..... "One-week study re-affirms A-10 retirement decision: USAF" .....After a week of concentrated study of its close air support (CAS) role, the US Air Force essentially has decided to stick with plans to gradually retire the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II and hand the CAS mission to the Lockheed Martin F-35.
The service plans to enshrine the close air support mission in dedicated squadrons that will transition from the A-10 to the Lockheed F-16 and Boeing F-15 until the F-35 comes online in sufficient numbers to take over CAS, Carlisle says.
It also will establish a permanent “CAS integration group” with representatives of all the military services to study and perpetuate the CAS mission in different scenarios.
Idaho Hogs Hit the Sandbox .....
(3/9/2015)
Idaho Air National Guard A-10Cs deployed to Al Udeid AB, Qatar, this week to fly a trio of international exercises in the Persian Gulf region, US Air Forces Central Command announced .....
http://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/379thAir ... cises.aspx
Six aircraft and roughly 120 pilots, maintainers, and support personnel from Gowen Field ANGB near Boise, formed the 190th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, which arrived over the last two weeks, according to a March 6 unit release .....
http://www.idaho.ang.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123441094
"We look forward to the opportunity to train with our joint and coalition partners in the region," 190th EFS detachment commander Lt. Col. Anthony Brown said.
"During these exercises, the focus will be more heavily on the A-10 … in the area of close air support, forward air patrol, and combat search and rescue, among other tactics," he added.
AFCENT officials stressed the 190th EFS deployment is a non-combat commitment to relieve pressure on in-theater units engaged in Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Fonte ..... il 'Daily Report' dell' AFA .....Fighter Luau .....
(3/9/2015)
The Hawaii Air National Guard is hosting nearly 45 fighter and support aircraft at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam during the Sentry Aloha exercise, officials announced.
This iteration will include Hawaii's F-22s flying with ANG A-10s from Indiana, F-15Cs from Florida and Oregon, F-16s from Arizona, and Navy F-18s, in addition to airlift and tanker assets from Arizona, Maine, and Iowa, according to a release .....
http://dod.hawaii.gov/blog/news-release ... this-week/
It is the ANG's second iteration of the "premier and primary" homeland defense and combat preparedness exercise, which takes place several times each year, according to the release.
More than 1,000 Active Duty and ANG airmen from seven states are taking part in the two-week exercise, which kicked off March 5.
Fonte ..... "Carlisle: No Decisions on A-10 Follow On" .....A weeklong summit on the close-air support (CAS) mission did not lead to any major decisions about a next-generation replacement for the A-10, the head of Air Combat Command told reporters March 6.
However, the service will continue to look into options for what Gen. Hawk Carlisle referred to as an "A-X" system, including the possibility of choosing an existing plane like the Textron Scorpion jet to fill gaps in the "low-end" CAS realm.
Fonte ..... "F-35 Will Not Reach Full Close-Air-Support Potential Until 2022" .....F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilots will have to wait until 2022 to fire the U.S. military's top close-air-support bomb after the Small Diameter Bomb II enters service in 2017, JSF officials explained.
The Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) is an upgrade from previous precision-guided air-dropped weapons because of its ability to track and hit moving targets from up to 40 miles.
However, the F-35 will not have the software package required to operate the bomb loaded onto the fifth generation fighter until 2022, officials said.
The delay in getting the SDBII onto the F-35 will reduce the aircraft's ability to provide close-air support to ground troops.
It plays a role in the debate over the aircraft's ability to adequately fulfill the mission of the A-10 Warthog if Air Force officials are allowed by Congress to retire the close-air-support aircraft.
AYOTTE for President 2016 .....A-10 Tailor-Made For CAS .....
I’d like to applaud Amy Butler’s “Domino Effect” (AW&ST March 2-15, p. 49) which covered the call to dispose of A-10s in light of the pending F-35’s entry into service and to add an anecdote.
In 1970 I was working on the design of the A-X Aircraft Gun.
The 30-mm. high-velocity GAU-8 (as it became designated) and its big magazine were fitted into what would become the A-10.
This match-up rendered the aircraft near-perfect for close air support (CAS).
It was a formidable combination!
Sending F-35s to attack insurgents would be comparable to delivering newspapers in a Lamborghini.
The notion of using the F-35 for ground attack sounds eerily reminiscent of the bright ideas from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (who served in 1961-68) and his whiz kids, a consortium which knew the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Save us from the MBAs; listen to the people who actually do the fighting.
Leonard E. Capon (Mesa, Arizona)
"U.S. Rep. McSally Urges Halt to “Disproportionate” A-10 Cuts" .....U.S. Representative Martha McSally today called on Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to cease the movement by the Air Force of 18 A-10 Warthogs into Backup Inventory Status (BAI), citing her concern in a letter that the move is a backdoor route to divestment.
A former A-10 pilot and squadron commander, Rep. McSally wrote the move would put American troops in danger during a critical time for national security and disrupt military families.
AYOTTE for President 2016 .....CAS by Other Means .....
“Domino Effect” (AW&ST March 2-15, p. 49) discusses the imminent retirement of the venerable A-10, yet it does not mention the Army’s view of the retirement.
The A-10 grew out of a set of requirements for a Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft that resulted from an extensive Effects Study conducted by the Ballistics Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, just after WW II.
The A-10 has proven to be an excellent result; one wonders how CAS will be provided while the Army waits years more for the F-35 to arrive.
The Navy says it can provide CAS at a fraction of the cost with a cruise missile and a laser cannon—why isn’t it being provided now?
In terms of cost-effectiveness, it is hard to imagine the F-35 really being a very good option, although we did see the B2 used for that mission (once) during the Iraqi War.
The F-35 looks like another of those great designs that can do everything, but none of it well.
The Air Force doesn’t want the A-10, but neither did that service want the F-5 years ago.
It was forced on them by Congress, and turned out to be a very good weapon—and the basis for the long-lived T-38.
Maybe we should be looking for a replacement for the A-10, and rethinking the assignment of that mission to the Air Force.
Arne Sandberg (Cody, Wyoming)
giragyro ha scritto:sempre più perplesso
richelieu ha scritto: " The F-35 looks like another of those great designs that can do everything, but none of it well. "
Forse è un limite ineludibile delle democrazie capitalistiche basate sul business, sugli appalti, sulle lobbies industriali: problemi che le pseudo-democrazie autocratiche come la Russia di Putin non hanno. L'importante è spendere tanto, e creare condizioni per cui i sia poi costretti a spendere molto anche dopo (io la logica del "too big to fail" la trovo aberrante).richelieu ha scritto: Sending F-35s to attack insurgents would be comparable to delivering newspapers in a Lamborghini.
The notion of using the F-35 for ground attack sounds eerily reminiscent of the bright ideas from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (who served in 1961-68) and his whiz kids, a consortium which knew the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Tant'è vero che ..... in Unione Sovietica i dissapori fra i vari apparati (scientifico-militare-industriale) furono tali e tanti .....Valerio Ricciardi ha scritto:Il vantaggio di quando "comanda uno" (o meglio una ristrettissima classe dirigente di privilegiati) è di potersene infischiare degli interessi industriali contrapposti.
Ciò può produrre innegabilmente in molti casi scelte tecnicamente più efficaci.
A chi tocca la commessa tocca, e gli altri zitti.
Condivido .....Valerio Ricciardi ha scritto:Il fatto è che mi pare che non ci siano più "gli americani di una volta".
Ecc ..... ecc .....
Ora sta iniziando il "secolo cinese", e temo che... ci farà rimpiangere gli americani.
Che sono quel che sono, ma sono anche... gli unici americani che abbiamo.
Fonte ..... "Long Road Ahead For Possible A-10 Follow-On" .....(General) Carlisle opened the door to a new platform designed to handle the CAS mission during remarks last month at the annual Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium.
The Air Force recently conducted a week-long summit on CAS with its sister services in an effort to “re-energize” the discussion on the mission area, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said.
A look at an A-10 follow-on was one of the topics of discussion, though Carlisle notes there is no urgency to move forward now, in large part due to budget pressure.
Una forza da associare a quella di Kelly Ayotte, Martha McSally e John McCain .....giragyro ha scritto:adesso è sceso in campo LUI ............l'A10 volerà all'infinito ( insieme al B52 )
https://www.sofmag.com/chuck-norris-jum ... e-warthog/
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/mili ... /25217877/
Fonte ..... il 'Daily Report' dell' AFA .....USAF Updates A-10 OIR Strike Numbers .....
Marc V. Schanz (4/1/2015)
Air Force A-10s have dropped some 500 bombs and air-to-ground missiles and fired 50,000 rounds in support of Operation Inherent Resolve since deploying to the Persian Gulf region in November 2014, according to a 386th Air Expeditionary Wing release .....
http://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/386thAir ... erent.aspx
The 163rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron began its deployment at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, before transitioning to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group, under the 386th AEW, late last year, said Lt. Col. Bill Leahy, the 163rd EFS commander.
Although A-10 maintainers and aircrews only had half a dozen tents and no power or communications when they first transitioned from Bagram to the freshly activated AEG, Leahy said they were flying combat operations over Iraq and Syria within a week.
Squadron officials said the A-10s have flown close air support, interdiction, and combat search and rescue missions since their arrival.
Airmen also are working closely with coalition partners operating from the same location, he added.
CMSgt. Larry Chandler, the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron day shift chief, said he shares “facilities, parts, and knowledge” with coalition partners supporting air taskings.
Driving The Decision .....
I served as a forward air controller when I was in the Air Force and can pinpoint one important reason (merely one of several) that the U.S. Army loves the A-10. It is the same reason that has the Air Force trying to get rid of it.
Because the venerable aircraft cannot perform a raft of different missions, the Army knows it will be available to support them with close air support (CAS) when they need it, and not scheduled elsewhere by the air commander.
Because the A-10 cannot do many different missions, the Air Force knows it cannot schedule it away from CAS, thereby limiting the air commander’s doctrinal “flexibility of airpower.”
USAF Lt. Col. (ret.) David Skilling (Marietta, Georgia)
AYOTTE for President 2016 .....Ask The Marines .....
I got a chuckle out of reader Leonard Capon’s comment: “Sending F-35s to attack insurgents would be comparable to delivering newspapers in a Lamborghini” (AW&ST March 16-29, p. 6), which takes the U.S. Air Force to task for attempting to dispose of the A-10.
I wonder what he thinks the U.S. Marine Corps F-35s will be doing as they replace the AV-8B Harrier in service?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the A-10 and what it brings to the fight, but I am curious why all the Air Force bashers are holding fire on our good friends in the Corps, who are making the F-35 their close air support (CAS) platform of the future?
The USMC has far fewer CAS options than the Air Force, yet the Corps is convinced the F-35 can do the job.
Has anybody asked them why?
USAF Lt. Col. (ret.) Drew Metcalf (Tucson, Arizona)
AYOTTE for President 2016 .....Off The Charts .....
The Close Air Support (CAS) sorties chart accompanying “Danger Close” (AW&ST March 30-April 12, p. 54) .....
..... appears to be a clever way of minimizing the A-10’s true impact by included sorties flown by non-USAF aircraft.
A more accurate presentation would show the A-10 accounting for nearly 25% of sorties flown.
A chart showing how little the A-10 costs in comparison with other platforms would be even more illuminating.
A customer-focused approach is the hallmark of successful companies.
In CAS, the Army is the major customer and seems to be very anxious to retain the A-10.
Rather than retain a proven system that operates at relatively low cost per sortie, the U.S. Air Force wants to think “outside the box.”
Seems like more of the same magic thinking that got us into the F-35 mess.
USAF Col. (ret.) Michael R. Gallagher (Hillsboro, Oregon)
Fonte ..... "Two-star fired for 'treason' rant against A-10 supporters" .....The two-star general who told officers they would be "committing treason" by advocating to Congress that the A-10 should be kept in service has been fired and reprimanded, Air Combat Command announced on Friday.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
As a result, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, has removed Post as vice commander of Air Combat Command and issued Post a letter of reprimand, the news release says.
AYOTTE for President 2016 .....ACC’s Vice Commander Relieved of Position .....
Marc V. Schanz (4/13/2015)
Air Combat Command Vice Commander Maj. Gen. James Post .....
http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/D ... n-post-iii
..... was relieved of his position after an Air Force Inspector General investigation found he attempted to restrict airmen from communicating with Congress, ACC announced on April 10 .....
http://www.airforcemag.com/DRArchive/Do ... 0FINAL.PDF
The IG investigation spurred from a January incident at USAF’s Weapons and Tactics Review Board at Nellis AFB, Nev., where Post responded to a question about the future of the A-10 fleet, allegedly telling airmen that expressing opinions or assessments against USAF’s decision to divest the Warthog could be construed as “treason.”
Following extensive interviews with attendees at WEPTAC and Post himself, IG investigators concluded that while some members of the audience did not feel they were being “restricted” by his directive, others did, and his words “had a chilling effect on some of the attendees and caused them to feel restrained from communicating with … Congress.”
Post’s position as ACC vice commander and his “choice of words … had the effect of attempting to prevent some members from lawfully communicating with Congress,” intentionally or not, and thus substantiated the allegations.
ACC boss Gen. Hawk Carlisle issued a letter of reprimand following the IG’s determination.
“General Post understands the impact of his actions and has expressed his sincere regret to me, a regret he extends to all airmen,” Carlisle said in a statement.
Inspector general report ..... http://www.airforcemag.com/DRArchive/Do ... 10-007.pdf
Read House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry’s statement on the decision .....
http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cf ... 5b730d096d
Fonte ..... il 'Daily Report' dell' AFA .....Czech Mates .....
(4/15/2015)
Some 50 US airmen and four A-10s flew to Namest Air Base in the Czech Republic for close air support training with Czech personnel, announced US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa on Tuesday .....
http://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/news/stor ... =123445052
Back in February, an expeditionary force of 12 A-10s and some 300 airmen left Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., on a 90-day deployment to Spangdahlem AB, Germany.
In late March, the contingent flew to Romania to take part in Exercise Dacian Thunder.
On April 8, the subset of the larger force flew to Namest.
The presence of this rotational expeditionary force, known as a theater security package, is meant to reinforce the US commitment to NATO allies and partner nations in Eastern Europe in the wake of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
A second TSP contingent of F-15Cs from the Florida Air National Guard arrived at Leeuwarden AB, Netherlands, in late March for a six-month tour, including time in Bulgaria.
AYOTTE for President 2016 .....Simple Solution ?
The A-10 “Wart Hog” solution seems too close to the noses of the parties locked in the argument.
I realize this could involve a major shift within the Pentagon, but this dilemma could be solved by these actions:
• Mandate that air operations below 200-ft. altitude belong to the Marine Air, and Army Air units.
• Transfer all A-10 assets, spares, and associated personnel and equipment to the Army and the Marine Corps.
• Tie payment for the A-10 operations to units that use and control them. Air cover would belong to the Air Force over land and Naval Air over the seas and waterways.
It all seems so logical and obvious and I am speaking based on a long career as a methods and standards engineer with the now shuttered Naval Aviation Depot.
Richard Neveln (Alameda, California)
