Designed for what is going on in Ukrain. With the retirement happening, why not give a few to them? Or would the lack of FAQ be a problem?
Ukraine's lack of a SEAD platform would be the reason. With nothing to take out or disable the Russian air defense network, the A-10 is a target. Why do you think their is very little CAS going on in Ukraine, by either side?
Ukraine has actually said they don't want A-10's, because given the battlefield environment they would not be usable. "The A-10s "will not close our sky, they will not stop bombers and missiles," Sak said in a message. "They will be a target for Russian jet fighters and anti-aircraft defense, because we don't have the means neither to effectively cover them, nor to break through the enemy anti-aircraft defence." Ukraine Official Says Country Doesn't Want Old American A-10s | Military.com Many Politicians and media pundits that don't know better have conflated the A-10's reputation for delivering close air support and battlefield survivability during the last 20 years during GWOT, and its original design to be a tank and armored vehicle killer, with an ability to deliver these capabilities in any environment. The last 20 years have been spent fighting an enemy over whom we had complete air superiority, and that lacked sophisticated, multi-layered air defenses. That is not the case in Ukraine. Why a-10 Isn't the Right Jet for the Kind of War Ukraine Is Fighting (businessinsider.com)
Interesting articles. I too would have assumed that the A-10 - designed to fight a Russian onslaught in the Cold War - would be just the thing for Ukraine; apparently not.
AA tech has moved on. Plus ground attack aircraft have always needed an escort if the enemy has fighters, just ask the RAF in 1940
The Ukrainians have already harnessed HARMs to MiGs. The USAF is getting ready to mothball about 80 A-10s. The reason this hasn't happened already is that the Ukrainians say the 'Hog isn't really needed.
