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| An A-10C Thunderbolt II from the 40th Flight Test Squadron, moves down the runway at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The aircraft is loaded up with weaponry to test the combat carriage limits of the Sargent Fletcher external fuel tank. The A-10 flight personnel are testing to ensure the A-10 can carry the tank into a combat environment safely. If proven to be safe to carry, the tank will add up to 60 minutes of flighttime to its combat sortie. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) |
I'm waiting for them to test an escort loadout for SOCOM CV-22's. This plane is an oldie but it really does appear to be irreplaceable.
*CV-22 escort.
*Special Ops infil/exfil support.
*Anti-ship/anti-pirate ops in the littorals.
*Aerial combat patrol against insurgent smuggling routes.
Those are just a few things off the top of my head that they can get done for our nation in the Pacific. That pesky smuggling route between the Philippines and Malaysia/Indonesia? Squashed. CV-22 escort? Done. Anti-ship operations in the littoral zone? Probably one of the best assets going especially if teamed with UAVs. SOCOM infl/exfil support? SOCOM took alot of hits either going in or leaving the landing zone. A few dedicated A-10's to support their mission sets seems like a no brainer.
The A-10. The plane that can't be boneyarded (or more precisely, "refuses to die in a ditch").
