I'm referring to military ground operations. Andrew Cockburn thinks that the Air Force is so consumed with the virtues of bombers and jet fighters that it is has decided to eliminate the only plane that has proven to adequately support military ground operations - the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
The A-10 was designed to support military ground operations, the others were not. The A-10 has bulletproof armor and reinforced fuel tanks. It can fly low without fear of enemy ground fire. Its pilots can see what is happening on the ground; video is the only way pilots of other planes can 'see' what is going on below. The A-10 costs less to build and maintain and has proved its worth in all our wars since Korea.
However, in 2015 all A-10 units will be disbanded and the aircraft itself will be junked. Close support will be assigned to the B-1 bomber fleet, along with various jet fighters, including the F-35, which has yet to undergo operational testing and is estimated to cost $200 million per plane.
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