Sh*t you're liberal about/Sh*t you're conservative about

[Spider]

Who said anything about no grunts? Its not an either/or. Doctrine is integration, not exclusivity. Also, a true ground support aircraft like an A-10 would probably get picked off in a big hurry by any credible fighter. These aren't fighters. They are what's known as Attack aircraft. Thus the A instead of the F. They don't even have the proper electronic warfare suite for meaningful air combat. A fighter-bomber is an actual multirole aircraft. An A-10 shooting down a fighter would be quite a feat. Its never happened. Pretty sure they've taken down a few choppers though.

As for 21st century aircraft...these are useful for fighting other powers, as opposed to continuously bombing sandbox countries who pose little real threat to us.

[The Comrade]

[eric]

[Spider]

The "crappiness" of the F-35 is the most wildly exaggerated, heavily politicized example of cluster f**k in the vroom-vroom boom-boom business.

Its a new plane, its complex, its got some kinks. Fix them, instead of turning it into a partisan bitchfest and destroying the cred of the system.

[eric]

Also, obligatory A10 love

[The Comrade]

dat fart of death doe

[NorthernFront]

[The Comrade]

every time we start to make universal NATO small arms the US army abruptly cancels the project. XM8 comes to mind.

[Saz]