F-35 vs. A-10 In Close Air Support Match-up (Who is Better?)

Photo: Air Force

Investors.com: F-35 vs. A-10 Matchup Isn't 'Silly' After All

A matchup between Lockheed Martin's (NYSE:LMT) F-35 vs. the older A-10 Warthog isn't so "silly" after all. The Pentagon's Office of Operational Test and Evaluation said late Thursday that it would run tests to evaluate how the F-35 stacks up in close-air support vs. the A-10, according to Defense News. The tests will use the latest upgrade of the 3F software for the F-35 and take place in 2018.

Lockheed shares fell 0.9% to 203.61 in late-afternoon trade in the stock market today.

The announcement comes after Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh told the press Monday that he wasn't aware of any tests between the two planes and said a matchup "would be a silly exercise."

WNU Editor: The A-10 is cheap to maintain and fly, armed to the teeth, slow, low flying, capable of taking direct hits, and a proven weapons platform in CAS. The F-35 is expensive to fly and maintain, high flying, fast, a lot of missiles and bombs, vulnerable to ground fire if it is flying low, and unproven in CAS. Sorry .... but I do not see the F-35 beating the A-10 in this CAS match-up unless the test is focused on other metrics .... missiles, speed, etc..

More News On Testing The F-35 CAS Capabilities vs. The A-10

To Prove Its CAS Capabilities, F-35 To Face Off Against A-10 -- Defense News
A-10 the Pentagon Wants to Retire Will Get Fly-Off Against F-35 -- Bloomberg
Weapons Testers To Pit F-35 Against A-10 -- Defense News
The F-35 vs. the A-10 Warthog, head-to-head in close-air support. It’s on. -- Washington Post
Comparison tests between A-10 and F-35 are on -- Ottawa Citizen
The Ultimate Showdown: A-10 Will Get To Face Off Against The F-35 -- Daily Caller
The F-35 And A-10 Warthog Will Go Head To Head In 2018 -- Task & Purpose