A civie visitor here.
"The A-1E was probably the best CAS aircraft ever built: Gobs of payload, 12 hr loiter time, etc. Totally kicked ass, but, alas it had a prop. The AF wanted jets. Fast, shiny, jets. (Still do.)"
Imagine if the other contender had won the bid for the A10 program, you might be flying P51 Mustangs. No kidding, the rival for the A10 was Pipers' contender, the PA48 Enforcer which was a brand new P51 Mustang with turbo prop power. The sole example is at Wright Patterson.