« Responder #266 em: Agosto 28, 2015, 01:11:55 pm »
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/08/27/as-it-fights-for-its-life-the-a-10-will-face-off-against-the-f-35-in-close-air-support-test/The F-35 vs. the A-10 Warthog, head-to-head in close-air support. It’s on.
By Christian Davenport August 27 at 3:21 PM
One of the biggest battles between Congress and the Pentagon over the past year has been over a snub-nosed grunt of an airplane, a jet so ugly (and fierce) it’s nicknamed the “Warthog.” It is beloved by the troops, particularly those who have been saved when the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and its huge 30 mm cannon, swooped in to save them in combat.
But despite the aircraft’s revered status, the Air Force has said it has no choice but to retire the fleet at a time of budget constraints. The A-10, officials have said, is designed for a single purpose—taking out enemy ground troops at such close range—a mission that could be taken over by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon’s $400 billion next-generation fighter jsf.
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Checkpoint
The F-35 vs. the A-10 Warthog, head-to-head in close-air support. It’s on.
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By Christian Davenport August 27 at 3:21 PM
The F-35, left, and the A-10 will be compared in close-air support head-to-head, military officials say. (Photos by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force)
One of the biggest battles between Congress and the Pentagon over the past year has been over a snub-nosed grunt of an airplane, a jet so ugly (and fierce) it’s nicknamed the “Warthog.” It is beloved by the troops, particularly those who have been saved when the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and its huge 30 mm cannon, swooped in to save them in combat.
But despite the aircraft’s revered status, the Air Force has said it has no choice but to retire the fleet at a time of budget constraints. The A-10, officials have said, is designed for a single purpose—taking out enemy ground troops at such close range—a mission that could be taken over by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon’s $400 billion next-generation fighter jet.
[Air Force plan to get rid of A-10s runs into opposition]
Critics have argued that while the F-35 may be great at many things, it won’t be able to fulfill the dangerous role of what’s known as “close-air support” (or CAS) nearly as well as the A-10, which flies so low and slow it’s equipped with a titanium bathtub belly that’s designed to absorb the inevitable ground fire it receives.
A-10s firing guns and rockets
Play Video1:48
A-10s from the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron fire guns and rockets on the Nevada Test and Training Range on Aug. 15, 2013. (U.S. Air Force)
But now, after months of debate over which aircraft is better suited for CAS, the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester confirmed on Thursday that his office plans to pit the A-10 against the F-35 in a series of comparison evaluations starting in 2018.
The testing “will reveal how well the F-35 performs and whether there are gaps or improvements in capabilities compared to the A-10,” J. Michael Gilmore, the director of the Pentagon’s Operational Test and Evaluation Office, said in an interview with reporters at the Pentagon.
"You can’t guess at what the capability gaps are,” he said. “It’s really not wise to guess. You have to go out and get data and do a thorough and rigorous evaluation.”
With its sleek lines, next-generation stealth and high-tech gadgetry, the F-35, the most expensive weapons program in the history of the Pentagon, is in many ways the antithesis of the homely A-10, which has been flying for nearly 40 years.
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