10K hours on a 29 year old F-16

[Buzz]

freeradical wrote:
[quote=MrNoBody]
The old "Flying Brick" F-4 Phantom II is still in use by several countries including Iran. It entered US service 12/30/1960!

I hope the Warthog stays in service even longer!

I disagree. It's time to retire the A-10. The money we spend operating and maintaining this aircraft with its extremely expensive supply chain could be better spent on newer planes.

I do understand why congress critters won't let it die though. It is/was quite a "bang for the buck" military aircraft.

Nostalgia.

However, the A-10 is not flying mission profiles that make use of it's 30 mm cannon which was essentially designed as a counter measure to the reactive armor on Soviet tanks.

Instead, it's flying medium range stand off missions and employing weapons such as the Hellfire missile.

This is something that the F-35 could do, and do it much more safely with stealth if needed.

The AF leadership is correct IMHO. Get rid of the A-10.
Hey, easy does it. Our nephew is in the USAF maintaining the A-10's...

OTOH, they keep throwing training on other air frames at him, so he figures the 'hog's days may be numbered. Nephew extoll's the A-10's capabilities beyond the oversized BB gun, and his stories of cannibalizing stuff from old air frames to keep the survivors flying are pretty cool. The flight records of where all the parts have been, and what they've been thru is damn impressive.
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