i Think those are 2 different concepts....A-10 and Su-25 were Pure Blood Infantry/tank Killers, not really designed to killl taleban or insurgents.
there are some COIN(Counter insurance) planes as the EMB-314 Super tucano, or the AT-6 II , those were projected with this mission...they're low cost at all(at least the Tucano)...easy maintence, and low flight hour price and in the other hand it can carry the most soficticatedd 4/5th generation planes technologies as laser designators, targeting pods, LGBs, AGMS, AAMs(IR Only) ,ECM, ECCM,Data Link,Chaffs and flares, MFDs, HMD and HUD and everything else....
i have a mate who fly in FAB the Super Tucano and he said me the Aircraft is "too slow" for manpads....he reported to me in a Exercise the Igla couldn't lock on it, and he said if it had and shooted that was sufficient time to made an effective evasive manuever, offcourse, shouldn't be soo resistent against AAA but i think it's the perfect plane for this kind of mission...