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From: operator@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Carrier based A10s???!?!
Message-ID: <1991Mar15.033854.6212@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 15 Mar 91 03:38:54 GMT
References: <1991Feb26.011655.5357@cbnews.att.com> <1991Feb28.050855.8085@cbnews.att.com>
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Organization: University Computing Services, Wright State University
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From: operator@desire.wright.edu

>>The reason it's not the A-111 (well, maybe A-8 or thereabouts) is that
>>the USAF never voluntarily uses A; that letter is for inferior Navy
>>aircraft, not glamorous USAF aircraft.  (The A-10 was built only because
>>the alternative -- giving the close-air-support mission to the Army --
>>was unquestionably worse.)
> 
> Just out of sheer curiousity, what would prevent the use of A10s in the
> role of Marine CAS missions??  Obviously there are the problems of
> saltwater and the other vagaries of carrier launchers, but is it totally
> out of the question for some other reason?

	I think that A-10's would be entirely too heavy for carrier operations. 
I may be wrong about their weight but a carrier couldn't carry too many to say
the least.  By their nature as close support and attack aircraft they are very
heavily armored.  I have heard some refer to them as tanks with wings, but they
have to be because they come under so much fire.  Compared to A-6's or A-7's I
don't know how much more they might weigh, but they are very heavy.

	The Air Force may be snobbish about their planes and no one knows the
answer to the numbering question (100 series v. 15,16,etc.)  but I don't think
that they have many A (attack) aircraft because their role is not generally
considered to be close ground support.  At least they like to think of
strategic bombers and tactical fighters.

	Anyone on this Net from Fairchild Republic who lnows more about A-10
weight or possible carrier use?

Robert Mack, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio