In message , Hog Driver
writes
snip enormously long diatribe arguing against the effectiveness of a gun
for CAS
Again, not a ringing endorsement of the strafing runs...

I will venture to say with great certainty if A-10s had been doing the
shooting, there wouldn't have been a need for a Maverick or bomb pass
follow-up.

I'll agree completely, but then you won't fit the A-10's gun system into
a thousand pounds: nearest handy source says 1723 kilograms loaded
weight, or four times a typical M61 installation. (All that extra energy
comes at a cost...)

Can you put four thousand pounds into every tactical fighter 'just in
case'? It's a specialised weapon.


One issue I'd like a horse's mouth job on - I'd heard claims the A-10s
were pulled out of Afghanistan, or at least had their role reduced,
because of issues about their performance in hot, high-altitude
conditions. True, Chinese whisper, false?

--
When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.
W S Churchill

Paul J. Adam MainBoxatjrwlynch[dot]demon{dot}co(.)uk