Originally Posted by JFZ90
...Sortie rate smells like a poor reason to knock -B if it can do 6/day - but it perhaps shows the USAF is looking for reasons to knock it.....one wonders why!
Originally Posted by longer ron
Seriously I doubt the USAF ever had any serious intentions of buying the 'B'
Originally Posted by JFZ90
No doubt they won't buy it, but why do they feel they need to say so?
Originally Posted by Lowe Flieger
Indeed. A strange story. The USAF has never been going to get the B has it, so why go out of their way to criticise it?
The USAF did lose some A10 squadrons in the recent cut backs though, and the F35A is due to take over their role although not the most natural of substitutes methinks. Perhaps, behind the scenes, they have been asked to convert some As to Bs, maybe to help reduce the latter's unit costs and arguing it's more suited to this CAS role? All pure speculation on my part to try and make sense of a curiosity.
Simple... the USAF, flush from its success in first stealing the C-27J from the US Army and then getting it canceled completely, has now turned its attention to something that has annoyed it since 1947... USMC TacAir.
The USAF believes it has a "divine right" to own all land-based fixed-wing aviation, and has always resented that the USMC has its own fighters and tactical transports.
It probably feels that if it can get the -B killed that it can convince Congress to take the Marines' fighter squadrons away... sending the 5 planned USMC -C squadrons to the Navy and taking those planned to receive the -B for itself, equipping them with -As instead.
The USMC KC-130Js would be next, merging into the USAF Air Mobility Command... then the USAF would be much happier.