Original quote by West Coast: 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, as measured by the guy on the ground.
The Air Force A-10 fighter, according to the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, is the best close-air support aircraft in the world, yet he’s determined to retire hundreds of them — the entire fleet — to the desert. Why? Despite this reality, the close-air support mission — the only mission for which the A-10 was designed and the primary mission for which its pilots train — has always been of secondary importance to the Air Force leadership which views air superiority, tactical and global strike (bombing), strategic airlift and aerial refueling as more important. Therefore, support of the development and acquisition of the service’s three core modernization programs: the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter; the next-generation tanker, and the Long-Range Strike Bomber.
Simple as that.
