Originally Posted by
PickleRick
The idea of the big wigs is that the USAF doesn’t really do CAS in future conflicts. Whether or not that’s correct is up for debate, especially since recent conflicts have a funny way of including a lot of CAS.
However, plenty of aircraft do CAS other than the A-10. F-35, F-16, F-15E, MQ-9, even B-1s. Nothing as good as the A-10 in most cases. IF CAS is required, my guess is that the USAF relies on those assets and others.
But as stated above, CAS is a low priority mission set when it comes to planning for future conflicts.
Battle of Kasham had zero A-10's. Air dominance allowed B-1's, B-52's, C-130 gunships, etc, to provide CAS.
The last 30 years of conflict the U.S. has operated in a air superiority to air dominance arena. A near peer conflict will be nothing like that.
Ukraine war has showed the exploding value of drone warfare.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khasham