When an aircraft is built to fly low and slow in areas of intensive ground combat, one can expect that aircraft to take enemy fire. And if an aircraft is expected to take enemy fire, said aircraft ...

The concept of converting the F-16 Viper into a close air support platform may sound appealing, but it was ultimately doomed from the start. Originally designed as a lightweight dogfighter, the F-16 ...

The skill and institutional knowledge preserved by the US Air Force’s A-10 pilots is easily lost, and not easily regained. The F-35’s multirole design prevents it from excelling at close air ...

You've probably heard that everyone's favorite combat jet, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, is due to be retired any day now. Most estimates peg the date as sometime in early to mid-2026, so time is running ...

The A-10 Thunderbolt II was purpose-built entirely around CAS survivability and direct ground support. AC-130 gunships became the gold standard for precision night CAS with unmatched persistence. MQ-1 ...

Networks of manned and unmanned aircraft will command the skies. These teams will be increasingly modular and optimized for counterair, interdiction, and close air support missions. A mix of war games ...

The crew provided Close Air Support and precision fire power to the U.S. land forces on the ground in Panama. The attack also involved a series of precision strikes by F-117A Nighthawks. Crews of ...