If I am correct. If the F-35 is not able to provide close air support to the same level as the A-10 (and there is no reason to believe that it can) and if an endless war is indeed the future, then the AH-1Z and AH-64 will become the new masters of close air support.
These guys do good work so the desire to put steel on target isn't the question. The question is if they can do it in a moderate threat environment? How many helicopters have we lost to enemy ground fire? How many have been knocked down due to RPG hits?
I've pushed back on the idea but maybe it needs to be seriously considered. Is it time for the USMC to consider a light strike platform? Is it time for either a Super Tucano or an armed version of the Navy's T-45 Goshawk or perhaps most radically an offer to the USAF to take the A-10 off their hands?
No comments:
Post a Comment