recceFAC,
I guess my 2nd hand info on GR-4 is far from fair
I suspect that is the true problem here. You may not be a
but there are plenty out there, presumably including your source. They firmly believe that the GR4 is not capable of CAS and never will be. Their ears are closed to any arguments advanced in favour of Tornado. Sadly this group includes members of the aviation press, as well as fellow aviators, who show a lack of professionalism in bad-mouthing their colleagues in front of Purple audiences.
A single GR4 now carries a CAS weapon load more flexible than anything a single Harrier could manage, with 2 Paveway IVs, 3 DMS Brimstone, a gun and a Litening pod. It has advanced IRCM just as the Harrier did. It beats the Harrier's recce capability hands-down. The crews have been doing CAS on operations for 7 years and are up to the task.*
In sum, it is capable of carrying out the CAS task required on Op HERRICK. Therefore there is absolutely no requirement to buy single-role A-10s (even if we could) as there is no "capability gap".
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* Please don't start on the relative merits of Tornado crews vs Harrier / Jaguar crews. The protagonists in this particular debate (including me!) took sides as 23-year-olds graduating from Valley and will not change their minds based on a PPRuNe thread! It's worth noting that the Typhoon force seem to take a much more equitable view of their 2-seat brethren, possibly due to the diverse nature of their backgrounds.