MAKO69

Boeing has already been working on a stealthy mission pod for the F/A-18 Superbug. The super has stealth technology built in to it already, not as much as the F-35. Stealth is a compromise, it doesn't mean the planes are invisible on radar It just means they are just harder to find.

It's stealth so the paint and coatings used may be easier in air superiority grey.

Some videos on the A-10's program congressional hearings for fiscal year 2015.

I'm pro F-35, the program is way behind schedule by some say 8 others say 10 years. It's all about money with keeping legacy aircraft. Both the F-22 & F-35 have had the orders cut back from all future operators. If the full compliment of those airframes were to be built it would be a different tune. The Air Force brass wants to retire the A-10, but the Army brass wants to keep them, and congress is in agreement to keep the A-10 around until there are sufficient numbers of what's coming down the pipe to finally take over the job of the A-10. The days of mission specific aircraft are coming to an end. I see nothing wrong with keeping the A-10. The Program for the F/A-18C+ program is a no brainier too. With legacy hornets and now 1st production superhornets timing and trapping out it has to be done. It be great to wave a magic wand and have all F-35 be built and ready for combat missions, but it takes time to build them, fix issues that come along, then start the transition for maintenance and flight crews to the new aircraft, while still training people on the aircraft to be replaced. For the U.S. Navy it takes about 10+ years to fully transition to an aircraft, similar time line for the USAF. So they are forced to do this with older aircraft. It's all about money, is a waste of money to refurb older aircraft until its replacements are online, Yup! It's what has to be done to keep the U.S.'s troops safe. Complain all you want, but it's going to happen & it will keep on happening. Plenty of old airframes still working. Herd, The F-16 was built to fill a role of day time fighter 1st. The air to ground mission was added later to the program.

March 2016 article on possible A-10 replacements. http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/03/14/5-Attack-Planes-Could-Replace-10-Warthog

Says you, there more to it then slapping on new wings. It's cost effective to refurbish, than build new.

Boeing was awarded a contract to refit 173 with new wings, looks like you'll be seeing them for a bit longer.

What's the warload for those planes without using a catapult? Can't be very much.

Boeing awarded wing replacement program for the USAF A-10. http://www.boeing.com/defense/support/a-10-wing-replacement-program/index.page

A lot of the shortcomings were overcome, when the A+ came along, then subsequently the rest of the variants. The early blocks were called the Jack of all trades master of none. The CF-188 is still trucking along with a fist full of other air arms that have legacy hornets, look at the F/A-18C+ which is being upgraded with the war computers and radar more on the level of the Superbug. It's a great plane still and will be around for another 30+ years. Cool video though. The arguments sound very familiar to what's going on with The JSF-35 Lightning II, over budget & a bad plane being forced on air arms now.

Navy will not bring back the Tommycats, they are all chopped up except for about 20 in museums. Love the F/A-18C+ mod, cause the govt. short handed the USMC & NAVY on supahs.

Put this here, it's general aviation

More hornet action

Good watch

Good lookin super hornet stuff

Norwegian test pilot has indirectly refuted the test pilot that said the F-35 cant dogfight http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/get-ready-russia-china-the-f-35-stealth-fighter-can-dogfight-15675

Draken International's promotional video.

a good thread, funny stories. https://www.quora.com/Do-Naval-aviators-land-planes-differently-than-Air-Force-or-National-Guard-pilots

Don't know if you can call them the worst, they were all experimental. They may not have been great by themselves, but I'm sure the companies that built these planes learned a great deal and incorporated or not incorporated technology into the next programs.

U.S. Navy Blue Angel crash in Tennessee, reports of 1 fatality. http://www.fox13memphis.com/news/us-navy-blue-angels-jet-crashes-in-smyrna/318737370

USAF Thunderbird crashes in Colorado. http://kdvr.com/2016/06/02/thunderbird-jet-crashes-after-performing-in-air-force-academy-graduation/ http://kdvr.com/

Very cool video, very humbling.

Your a fisherman trolling for an argument Toryu, you know the F-8 is a better fighter than the F-4, I'm not gonna get into it with you. I've talked to several guys who have piloted both. They loved the F-4, but if they were going to dogfight they would choose the F-8. The F-8 was designed to be a Dogfighter the F-4 was designed to be a missle fighter. Go fishing elsewhere.

Why not rent Draken Internationl's A-4K KAHUhawk fleet, just put U.S. Military pilots in them Airforce, Navy, or Marine. its a pretty capable warplane, has the onboard war computers, radar, HOTAS of an F-16, and most of the weapon systems available to the A-10. http://drakenintl.com/

These aircraft can do the mission for a fraction of the cost.