tac airlifter

Ehhh, not quite.

Dude spot on. I hardly remember UPT nor do I care what track a new guy/gal flew.

I remember the big deal when she flew the first female 2 ship of strikes in OEF. We all said the same thing then: who the F cares? no one whose opinion I respect.

Any possibility of AFSOC getting a similar program?

Light strike + ISR = serious damage to our current and near future enemy. Yup. But a lot of people have no idea that small planes are already crushing it regularly. We aren't looking at our current problem set logically, otherwise texatron or something similar would have already been bought. Hopefully some of our sharp dudes in HQ can convince the GOs!

Just to confirm, the F 35 cannot employ any of the weapons pictured in that article? And even carrying them negates LO?

A light attack aircraft that is cheaper than an A10, quieter than an A10, has a longer loiter than an A10, smaller MX footprint and less recognizable ramp profile, has more & better radios than an A10 and better off board data link and FMV capability and ability to match SPIs... Would be a very useful asset in our various wars. That said, the move to CANX the A10 appears to be all about politics and money, not logic.

Well said Hoss. I still believe my job is important to our nation and worthy of my best efforts.... And the pay is fine for my family. Why wouldn't I stay? Others have had a different career experience and reached different conclusions. No worries! Thanks for their help and good luck in the future. But airline pay carries no enticement for me over smashing terrorists, so of course I'll take extra $$ to continue doing what I planned to continue doing.

What is the typical sortie duration?

Great post HOSS. The political word games and outright dishonesty from our senior leaders on this and other acquisitions subjects is infuriating.

I love it! Looks like the program we were selling to the Yems before that place nose dived. Needs a different location for the sensor though.... And a different sensor. And BLOS off boarding, and data links. But it would do more for our fight of the last and next decade than the 22 or 35!

CH, has AFSOC always had the rift between strike and mobility?

I don't think the collapse in Yemen has direct relations with the war in Iraq, other than as another Iranian proxy fight. But maybe I'm too obtuse to see the connection. Regardless, cheers to the rescue folks.

This thread is about Iraq. The above story is about Yemen.

Please explain why you would CANX the U28.

In general I tend to agree with learjetter- keeping secrets won't help your boss help you. That said, the above observation is completely valid: some commanders take personal offense to subordinates career aspirations. In my mind, this is one of the biggest discriminators between good commandes and bad ones.

This is also a simplistic view; every select or candidate who opts out instead of attending (once matched to a school) is replaced by an alternate. And alternates have already been ranked lower than folks designated as primary to attend, systematically creating a situation at odds with your logic.

This is true but I don't understand it. Why are selects more competitive for the unconventional IDE programs while candidates almost always go to ACSC?

Anyone recommend a studio apartment in Maxwell?

Nope, we should kill them all. First off, you can't ever be sure they didn't participate in the acts of barbarity IS rejoices in. Secondly, radicals have been known for years to openly endorse lying as a means of maneuver so you can never trust that you aren't welcoming sleeper agents. Third, the european out briefs I've read from those who return indicate the deserters don't reject a caliphate or violence as a means to establish it but rather the particular ways IS has done business. This is important when considering reintegration because these guys still buy into the concept.... They just didn't like the way this one played out; so what's to stop them from returning later if/when appropriately inspired? Finally, for years I've been listening to folks say we can't kill our way to victory. But we haven't tried, and frankly I think it's a valid TTP. All the COIN talk and reintegration and hearts and minds, etc. In the right time and place may be appropriate, but we can't leverage those tools to our advantage unless we're first in a position of strength; one attained by killing enough enemy to stress their organization. They've absorbed our attacks better than we would absorb similarly porportional inflictions. I think with these guys, we can and should kill our way to victory. Kill everyone who deserts and trap the rest in NE Syria and let Assad deal with it. This isn't an impossible problem, we just need the stomach to execute at higher levels, because the line guys are willing and able.

Raptor has had it's day? We all get a chuckle when it checks in with its ridiculous SCL. It remains irrelevant in our current fight, even if shows up episodically, because we have no need for the specialized capabilities it brings. I'm sure it will kick ass doing what it was built for but cost/benefit validation won't occur until it goes against the threat it was built to face. If anything the current use of F22s proves we should have bought OV-10Ds.... Or at least ACC shouldn't have cock blocked commands that wanted them.

Don't speak for the whole AF bro; leading from the front, being an expert operator and killing the enemy is still a priority in SOF. Sorry you're in a bitch community.

That entire war was a clusterfuck from the start.

Concur. My corner is effects based: if you suck you aren't going to succeed.

I mostly agree, but remain optimistic that one day we'll be released from the ridiculous ROE and "near certainty" bullshit criteria.