Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: aws@itivax.iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: A-10 Thunderbolt
Message-ID: <10657@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 27 Oct 89 03:28:59 GMT
References: <10404@cbnews.ATT.COM> <10615@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow
Lines: 46
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: aws@itivax.iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer)

In article <10615@cbnews.ATT.COM> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>If you went in horizontal, you wouldn't hit anything because you would never
>>see anything.

>Of course, if you *don't* go in horizontal, you don't hit anything because
>you're too busy trying to eject before the A-10 blows up from all the AA
>missiles arriving.

It's not that simple Henry. IF the SAM operator burns through the jamming
and IF the chaff doesn't confuse him and IF the enemy defense suppression
doesn't kill him he can get a shot off.

If what you say is true, then we shouldn't bother with A-10's and CAS
at all. If they do hit anything going in horizontal it will be by chance.
In addtiion, the thing they hit will have about an even chance of being
the troops he is attempting to help.

[mod.note:  Which may be exactly Henry's point 8-)  Let's not forget,
either, that even if MBT's are tough nuts to crack with an A-10,
BMP-loads of infantry and command vehicles are still juicy, and important
targets, and quite vulnerable.  - Bill ]

>The first popup warns them that they're about to have a target, and the 
>second presents the A-10 beautifully for their appreciation :-).

FYI, the fighter pilots I know call this an 'Ivan thanks you very much'.

>strikes me as another example of the USAF not training the way it will
>have to fight.

Sure. They are the first to admit it (although I am refering to the 50
foot restriction, not popups). Training them that way tends to get a lot
killed and crashes a lot of fighters. Those aircraft and pilots are expensive
so as a taxpayer I have no problem with it. Now if a war looks to be on the
way, then they will train different and some will die as a result. In the
long run however we are ahead of the game.

  Allen
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  You know you have hit bottom when you sleep in a pool of your friends   |
|  vomit because it's warmer then the sidewalk.                            |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------