Russia will shoot those down in hours. The A-10 is a fantastic close air support plane but useless in air to air.
Pointless waste of money proposed by pinheads who don't think anything through.
Not supporting or advocating this, but the idea is circulating in the government.
>The A-10 is a fantastic close air support plane but useless in air to air.
On the topic of A-10 A2A - The A-10 has 2 dedicated rails for sidewinders (IR 20+ mile range), specifically for a leaker scenario. Leakers are the bogies that make it through the high CAP (combat air patrol) F35/F22/F15/F16 cover. The A-10s have an inherent turn radius that is well inside any fighter in the area. A-10 has engaged in dogfights with F16s and won. A-10s have had a number of recorded A2A kills.
Also, with low fliers/fast movers in a look down/shoot down scenario, they tend to get lost in the radar ground clutter - making tracking difficult especially with a missile engagement - which forces CAP into a low level dog fight environment - gun on gun. The A-10s gun has a much longer range than that of any fighter - which is a significant advantage. 10s also have on board EW/ECM capability that will help with lock-ups.
Bottom line, the A-10s would not automagically be dog meat.
I was a Navy RD/OS/EW/AIC (aircraft interceptor controller) - then defense system engineer system architect for 50 years, now retired.
Good response.
I noticed the F16 engagement was from 1988. Are there more recent engagements that take into account the AESA radar and improved missile and targeting packages used on modern F16s, F15s, Su-27, Su-30, Su-35, or Mig-35s? Would an A10 even know a modern fighter was out there before taking a BVR missile?
What were the circumstances of that 1988 fight with the F16? What was the scenario? Even a 1988 F16 should have a better A2A radar and be able to pick the engagement scenario to achieve the most favorable outcome.
>I noticed the F16 engagement was from 1988. Are there more recent engagements that take into account the AESA radar and improved missile and targeting packages used on modern F16s, F15s, Su-27, Su-30, Su-35, or Mig-35s? Would an A10 even know a modern fighter was out there before taking a BVR missile?
Yes, just with the basic law of physics. If something is emitting (RF) energy - the receiver has a 50% range advantage. You are going to hear them coming well before they can see you (and even be able to target you). The A10 pilots before they received their EW suites would duct tape an old "fuzz buster" car radar detector to the top of their canopy.
Do a search for NAWCWD TP 8347 Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems - DTIC - It's a good all-around open source reference.
In terms of a BVR engagement, the A10 would again have a 50% range warning advantage, they would already be on the deck, the missile would need to target through the ground clutter, even if it was a BR (beam rider part of the way). BVR missiles are primarily designed for the fighter on fighter engagements at altitude, usually not for the low and slow, down in the weeds and trees.
>What were the circumstances of that 1988 fight with the F16? What was the scenario? Even a 1988 F16 should have a better A2A radar and be able to pick the engagement scenario to achieve the most favorable outcome.
It was a 1on1 exercise. The A10 has 2 advantages. If the fighter wants to fight (toe to toe) - the A10 has the advantage in turn radius. Yes, the A10 is slower, but can also use that as an advantage as the fighter zooms by. It just turns inside the fighter, lets it come around into its sights and then its gun on gun with a 50% range advantage with its 30mm anti armor canon. If the fighter bugs out, especially with its afterburner, the A10 send an IR sidewinder up the tail pipe - game over. The afterburner makes for a very fat hot bright target that can't be missed. The only way to defeat the winder is to fly into the sun and break off abruptly or potentially go seduction with IR flares. However, in order to do that, you need to know that you're being targeted with an IR weapon and the IR weapon does not provide any warnings - as would an RF-directed weapon.
Not saying that the A10 is the perfect fighter platform, but it's certainly able to defend itself in an A2A engagement. The USAF sends its pilots to fighter school - A10 pilots included. It's a cross education - where the hog drivers learn to fight fighters and the fighter jocks learn that the hogs are not just fat slow dumb targets. At the Navy Top Gun school, the instructors use to fly old F5 and a custom F16N against F14s and F18s.
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