Cheap and effective or not is for someone else to argue. What I'd like is for someone above three star level to tell the truth, that the replacement isn't as effective...
"
the replacement?" There is no single "replacement" for the A-10. Instead, there are multiple fleets of multiple types of aircraft, including drones, helicopters, various tactical jets (including and not exclusively the F-35), gunships, and heavy bombers that can ALL be very effective in various CAS scenarios.