A-10s Saved The Day In Botched Afghanistan Raid -- David Axe, War Is Boring
Low-flying jets better than bombers for supporting ground troops
On June 9, five U.S. Special Operations Forces commandos died when a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber mistakenly attacked their position in southern Afghanistan—presumably dropping JDAM satellite-guided bombs on the commandos from high altitude.
The accidental bombing comes as the Air Force is trying—with some success—to convince Congress to allow the flying branch to retire all 230 of its remaining A-10 Warthog attack jets, which specialize in low, slow attacks in close proximity to friendly troops.
The Air Force insists the high-flying B-1 and other warplanes can adequately replace the A-10. But the June 9 incident undermines the Air Force’s case. Likewise, a similar incident seven years ago involving a B-1—“Bone” to the ground troops—and A-10s highlights the yawning differences between the two plane types and their pilots.
Read more ....
More News On The A-10
Special Forces Deaths Fuel A-10 Debate -- Military.com
Senate Appropriators Likely To Protect A-10, Potentially Harming CRH -- Defense News
A-10 Backers Vow to Overcome Setback -- Military.com
Critics accuse Air Force of manipulating data to support A-10 retirement -- PBS Newshour
McCain Questions ‘Cronyism’ Regarding A-10 Replacement F-35 -- PJ Media
My Comment: The above video shows a firefight between US forces and the Taliban ... it goes on for a few minutes and at the end of the video the A-10s show up .... and no surprise the firefight ends.
The above post by David Axe on how the A-10s saved the day for a botched Afghanistan raid is a long piece, but it is well worth reading to understand the importance of having a close air support plane like the A-10. One has to wonder why some of the Generals are so keen on eliminating the program.
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