Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday June 20 2018, @06:37AM   Printer-friendly
from the here-we-go-again dept.

The US Air Force has kicked off the procurement for another round of wing replacements for A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, known affectionately by many as the Warthog. With new wings, the A-10s will help fill a gap left by the delayed volume delivery of F-35A fighters, which were intended to take over the A-10's close air support (CAS) role in "contested environments"—places where enemy aircraft or modern air defenses would pose a threat to supporting aircraft. For now, the A-10 is being used largely in uncontested environments, where the greatest danger pilots face is small arms fire or possibly a Stinger-like man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) missile. But the Warthog is also being deployed to Eastern Europe as part of the NATO show of strength in response to Russia.

While the A-10 will keep flying through 2025 under current plans, Air Force leadership has perceived (or was perhaps convinced to see) a need for an aircraft that could take over the A-10's role in low-intensity and uncontested environments—something relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain that could be flown from relatively unimproved airfields to conduct armed reconnaissance, interdiction, and close air support missions. The replacement would also double as advanced trainer aircraft for performing weapons qualifications and keeping pilots' flight-time numbers up.

So, last year the Air Force kicked off the Light Attack Experiment (OA-X), a four-aircraft competition to determine what would best fit that bill.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday June 20 2018, @09:15AM (2 children)

    by driverless (4770) on Wednesday June 20 2018, @09:15AM (#695522)

    What about a Shturmovik? That seems to fit their requirements exactly, and it already has a proven track record.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday June 20 2018, @12:04PM (1 child)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday June 20 2018, @12:04PM (#695548)

    We're headed there... every major wargame simulation that includes economic considerations finds that a massive number of cheap fighting assets easily overwhelms an equivalently budgeted force of more sophisticated fighting assets. All the cheap force needs is enough "boom" to take out the expensive side's armor, and "big boom" is cheap, incredibly cheap if you've got nuclear boom.

    With unmanned fighting vehicles now practical, why not send 10 cheap drones instead of 1 stronger vehicle filled with people?

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday June 20 2018, @07:26PM

      by frojack (1554) on Wednesday June 20 2018, @07:26PM (#695718) Journal

      Exactly.

      I can easily envision turning whichever of these planes wins the competition into a drone, "manned" remotely.

      Get them cheap enough that you don't break the bank when some get shot down, and put the pilots in a cargo container (or E-8C JSTARS) somewhere near enough that you don't need that much of a CNC network.

      There are already hints of this repurposeing of E-8Cs [defensenews.com] in the press ahead of (of just after) their scheduled replacement in 2024.

      E-8Cs are not seen to be survivable in contested airspace (any where in europe) these days. But for places like the Middle East, you could remotely fly 5 or 8 small hard hitting ground attack aircraft from just over the horizon.

      --
      No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.