Clark Griswold

It’s cultural I think, for whatever reason I think the powers that be think these platforms are beneath the prestige of the AF. Following from that they’ll present an endless stream of arguments of why giving a nickel to small programs robs big programs, it’s a prejudice that they find reasons to justify. With the long range fires being demonstrated by our foes with TBMs/cheap drones destroying HVAAs at MOBs on the ground, the justification for some amount of conventional capabilities being based in small footprint, ACE minded assets is self evident. Tactical tanker, expeditionary capable light fighter, light attack and CCA / UCAV, etc… Just my day dreaming two cents but this sounds like the bailiwicks of a new AFSOC to be relevant in GPCs.

Concur The offense defense tango continues, offense is throwing mass cheap systems and the challenge to defense is how to answer that. Probably an all of the above is the best feasible option Defensive systems, decoys, mobile low footprint systems, etc… It seems you need a force that is composed of opposite ends of a value spectrum, some high end exquisite systems to kick things off, medium systems level and a shit ton of cheap attrition tolerant mass to constantly throw at your opponent

Yeah I get it but the unresolvable loop in the original Iran thread has reached a point where nothing more can really get done, besides there’s enough in the open source world to have discussions worth what it costs to access BO… The articles are starting to ask what this can teach us about a Taiwan scenario, what is China learning, etc…. We should discuss the big elephants in the room.

The War ZoneRegent Squire Wing-In-Ground Effect Drone Demonstrator Ma...Squire is designed to take on multiple roles and the Marines say they are monitoring the aircraft's progress.

New thread to discuss results, applicable lessons and armchair general’s opinions on the conflict. Politics for the other thread. My first salvo: UCAVs are needed now, up to full autonomous operations, less expensive persistent surface and air area denial, integrated with manned platforms. Suicide drones, more of them, conventional ones like LUCAS against fixed and large moving targets (ships) and new systems bringing direct anti personnel drones/loitering munitions linked to airborne C2 aircraft or linked to operators thru high altitude network enablers. Morale destruction and surgical targeting of the most odious members of the regime. More surface fleet combatants for naval control, greater presence over large/multiple areas Base defense and expedient shelter hardening capes growth, new decoy systems.

Last class The AviationistFinal Class of A-10C Thunderbolt II Pilots Graduates at D...The 357th Fighter Squadron graduated its last A-10C Thunderbolt II student pilots at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, marking the end of an era for the soleAnd interview with the author of Superhornet replacing Warthog

Concur The War ZoneA-10 Pilot's Compelling Case For Replacing Warthogs With...An A-10 Weapons Instructor lays out how buying F/A-18E/Fs fits the Air Force's imperatives and keeps the A-10's unique braintrust intact.For an AF variant (if the AF wanted mods), stretch fuselage a bit, add UARSSI to the CFTs, delete wing folding, maybe lighter but still STOL capable gear/airframe, adjust pylons to eliminate stores toeing arrangements

F-32 concept https://ollysaviation.artstation.com/projects/x3QRPO

Now the warthog places the probe in the basket…

The War ZoneA-10 Warthog Being Tested With Aerial Refueling Probe (Up...Beyond a win for the A-10, putting refueling probes on USAF tactical jets could be a boon of the service's Agile Combat Employment strategy.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt I hope not Probably but Germany of today won’t even keep out welfare tourist migrants who cause mayhem and chaos, now if they go hardcore and try to become the enforcer of the EU; the Visegrad countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia) might have reason to start reinforcing their western borders. I’m thinking this in preparation for stabilization force in Western Ukraine if a cease fire is declared.

Germany dipping it’s toes in the water… https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/04/german-men-must-apply-army-booking-holidays-conscription/

My record on 2026 predictions has been spotty at best, ok it’s been crappy but mostly in a good way… that out of the way, if we arm the Kurds in Iran we have to keep Turkey from intervening, if encourage the Baluchi and Azeris we can’t leave them hanging, if we get a ceasefire and opening of the Strait then we have to remain in theater to ensure no retrenchment on a ceasefire deal. My guess is that we are headed for a new version of Northern / Southern Watch where we keep immediate retaliation available in theater, daily patrol and observation.

And his own Dos Gringos song

Article dated 31 March not April Fools https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/brazil-confirms-talks-with-u-s-air-force-to-use-kc-390-millennium-as-a-new-complementary-tanker