ScottG

Retired USAF CMSgt (F-16 / F-35 Crew Chief, HAF Wargamer, and DoD Aerial Weapons Evaluation SEL)

[ScottG @grab7303]

@JohnCleese A witch!!!!!

[ScottG @grab7303]

No jet is “unkillable.” Tactical aircraft and Integrated Air Defence have been in a symbiotic relationship since the dawn of air power. This type of headline is written with purpose. I’ll rewrite it to better convey the facts. “After 10,000 Combat Sorties, Iran Lands a Golden BB, F-35 damaged, Pilot Injured and Healing.”

[ScottG @grab7303]

@GulagInmate5790 @infantrydort Personally, I’d shrink the fleet to one Fighter Wing and build 80 new A-10s with modern sensors to effectively fix and destroy small-medium drones. Retire the rest. And yes, this would be cheaper than applying expensive band-aids in perpetuity.

[ScottG @grab7303]

You’d be surprised with those drawings. There is a level of corporate knowledge, or worker knowledge, that never gets put into those pubs for every MDS.

That said, it’s not a matter of tech data, it’s a matter of starting and stopping would be suppliers/manufacturers. For the A-10, you have to go manufacturer shopping (e.g. Boeing is doing the wings) and have next to no leverage when discussing prices.

[ScottG @grab7303]

And infrastructure that is normally protected (churches, mosques, hospitals, etc) lose status as soon as they used for military means. That’s when proportionality and military necessity kick in when weighing a strike. I’m guessing people aren’t ready for this conversation based on what I’ve seen the last few weeks.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@the_engi_nerd That’s funny as hell.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@the_engi_nerd I was initial DoD cadre in the program. Worked all three variants in the early days. Worked CF-1 at Pax when she first showed up. We should be friends.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@TomcatJunkie I’ve got a HARM umbilical from Iraqi Freedom around here somewhere. You just inspired me to find it.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@TomcatJunkie “Fat Kid in a Magic Coat” predated “Fat Amy” in the fightersphere. Too long to stick but always made me chuckle. Think the Eagle community came up with it after our Hill F-35s decimated Red Flag in 2015

[ScottG @grab7303]

@dmbkparker @GuntherEagleman Not weird to me. The President is the decision maker. Subordinates provide information and council. Tulsi’s interpretation of data is helpful in the making of a decision. Nothing more, because she’s not the CINC.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@DanHollaway @ShawnRyan762 @scotthortonshow

[ScottG @grab7303]

And this is where the budget and the manpower runs into capability. In a world where we can have everything, and sustain it with parts and manpower, the A-10 is a no brainer. That’s not the world of the Pentagon or their dealings with Congress. We have to pick and choose….and it’s a shitty choice to have to make.

[ScottG @grab7303]

I hear you, brother. Believe me I do. The conversation at the HQ level (circa 2018 when I was there)was never truly about the Hawgs effectiveness in CAS. It was dollars and manufacturing capability/capacity. Nobody makes A-10 parts anymore. Wings, gun barrels, etc. have to be budgeted and sourced. The cost gets wild when you consider we need to re-wing the fleet, or re-barrel every GAU (hypothetically, of course). Cont’d

[ScottG @grab7303]

The cost of sustainment back then was enormous. Now add in the manpower which has been cut to the bone in aircraft maintenance due to congressional manpower limits. Now an honest look at the Hawg’s capabilities. It’s the best CAS platform ever conceived. It’s tremendous as an FAC in non-contested spaces. Everything else it does can be done by newer platforms. Cont’d

[ScottG @grab7303]

I was fond of Patton as a youngster. He was quickly usurped by Olds in the early days of my AF career.
Olds was great about recognizing the talent swarming around his aircraft when they were on the ground which I greatly appreciated.
He respected talent and was confident enough to let experts be experts, no matter the rank and I patterned myself after that little lesson.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@DanHollaway No different than arguing with a General in private over a decision, stating a case, and supporting/executing the decision once the door opens. This is the job of a subordinate. Good to hear this from J.D.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@TomcatJunkie Here’s one of mine. Block 30 86-6303 over Saudi in ‘00. She’s resting now. I can’t tell you how much I loved this jet.

[ScottG @grab7303]

@RandPaul Do you just come on here to cry now?

[ScottG @grab7303]

@HLC_actual Your type of retardation is most certainly a feature and not a bug. Or maybe I’m just the same type of tard

[ScottG @grab7303]

@TomcatJunkie Great pic. All but one of the Vipers that had my name on them are now in the yard. The first F-35 I worked is long retired as well. My poor girls…