(Luft) Textron AirLand Scorpion

[WideMasta]

@QF:

Sehr interessanter Bericht von IHS zur A10 und ihrer Zukunft als CAS Flugzeug. Da hier der Scorpion als reelle Beschaffungsoption aufgeführt wird und die USAF ein legacy Kampfflugzeug zu bevorzugen scheint, ist der Bericht insbesondere für QF von Interesse.

Pentagon study validates USAF A-10 retirement plan but no CAS-specific replacement

Key Points
The USAF is pressing on with plans to retire the A-10
There is no firm plan to develop another CAS-specific aircraft, so the USAF will rely on legacy combat aircraft and, eventually, the F-35
A multiservice summit on the Pentagon's close-air support (CAS) mission confirmed USAF plans to retire the venerable Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, but did not yield plans for a new CAS aircraft, according to the US Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC).

"There wasn't anything definitive, other than we will continue to think about [a new aircraft] and plan for it and see what that would look like," said General Herbert Carlisle, according to a transcript of a 6 March press conference about the summit and the USAF's plans for CAS.

He said the USAF will consider existing aircraft like the Textron Scorpion for the "low-end" of the CAS mission while the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Boeing F-15 Eagle take over the remainder of the mission until the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter makes its operational debut beginning later this year with the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) B-model jump jet version of the stealthy combat aircraft.

Gen Carlisle first alluded to the possibility of a new CAS aircraft to replace the A-10 in February. "A follow-on may be something we need to think about," he said during a 12 February press roundtable at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium. "Another weapons system programme may be something we need to consider as we look at the gaps and seams in the future and what we're doing."

The USAF conducted the week-long review of CAS needs with officials from the US Army, the USMC, and the US Navy. Officers from all four services met from 2-6 March to study CAS plans beyond A-10 retirement.

For the second year in a row, the USAF has requested permission to retire the A-10, which it argues is not suitable for use against adversaries with access to more sophisticated air defenses. According to the USAF, the A-10 is more vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles than newer aircraft, which it notes already conduct the majority of US CAS missions using precision munitions. Gen Carlisle reiterated that any new CAS aircraft will have to be able to survive in contested environments.

The plan to retire the A-10 has, however, met resistance on Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers argue that multirole aircraft like the F-16 and the F-35 are not always a suitable substitute for the heavily armored, low-flying A-10.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.janes.com/article/49836/pentagon-study-validates-usaf-a-10-retirement-plan-but-no-cas-specific-replacement">http://www.janes.com/article/49836/pent ... eplacement</a><!-- m -->