Watching the film clips showing the windscreen and cockpit, the combiners on the Projection Unit (PU) look like what Kaiser Electronics was installing on the PU back in the late 70s, and possibly through the end of the production of the A-10. The "night filter" at that time was a sheet of red film that was pulled over the optics kind of like a window shade - low-tech, but it worked. The USAF was kind of slow in updating/upgrading the A-10 so I wonder if the birds still flying have the late 70s and early 80s PUs.
The fighter-that-can-also-do-CAS thingy worked well with the P-47 Thunderbolt, but the A-10 was designed for CAS. Fighters also became more specialized, so F-35s or F-18s or ... also-doing-CAS will be done less well.
Oh yea,they will get the F-35 to do the A-10’s job………right! The A-10 can fly low and slow,has great loiter time,take small weapons fire and get home and get patched up,go back in service relatively quickly. The F-35 burns fuel like a madman,has low loiter time without having to tank up,is entirely composite construction s if it takes any small arms fire is out if service for a much longer time due to how long it takes to repair the composite structure. Oh,then there’s the bad ass 30mm cannon the A-10 was built up around. The F-35 has a smaller cannon that doesn’t have as many rounds of ammo. The A-10 is a superior aircraft for the job it does. The Pentagon wants to retire it because their puppet masters in the military industrial complex (Lockheed Martin) want the profits a new plane gives them.
Just catching up! Another Great episode!
Watching the film clips showing the windscreen and cockpit, the combiners on the Projection Unit (PU) look like what Kaiser Electronics was installing on the PU back in the late 70s, and possibly through the end of the production of the A-10. The "night filter" at that time was a sheet of red film that was pulled over the optics kind of like a window shade - low-tech, but it worked. The USAF was kind of slow in updating/upgrading the A-10 so I wonder if the birds still flying have the late 70s and early 80s PUs.
The fighter-that-can-also-do-CAS thingy worked well with the P-47 Thunderbolt, but the A-10 was designed for CAS. Fighters also became more specialized, so F-35s or F-18s or ... also-doing-CAS will be done less well.
Oh yea,they will get the F-35 to do the A-10’s job………right! The A-10 can fly low and slow,has great loiter time,take small weapons fire and get home and get patched up,go back in service relatively quickly. The F-35 burns fuel like a madman,has low loiter time without having to tank up,is entirely composite construction s if it takes any small arms fire is out if service for a much longer time due to how long it takes to repair the composite structure. Oh,then there’s the bad ass 30mm cannon the A-10 was built up around. The F-35 has a smaller cannon that doesn’t have as many rounds of ammo. The A-10 is a superior aircraft for the job it does. The Pentagon wants to retire it because their puppet masters in the military industrial complex (Lockheed Martin) want the profits a new plane gives them.
Have you watched our F-35 follow up yet? :)
It's a valuable mission that needs a better aircraft.
It is finding that aircraft that is proving somewhat tricky.
@@damcasterspod Everything seems difficult until actually done. Funding & proper project management could certainly use improvement.