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As an example of the kind of losses that can result from better equipped adversaries, consider what has happened to the Russian Su-25 CAS in conflicts in Georgi
by mturmon 12y ago
As an example of the kind of losses that can result from better equipped adversaries, consider what has happened to the Russian Su-25 CAS in conflicts in Georgia and in the Chechen wars. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-25#2008_Russia.E2.80.93Georgia_war http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-25#2008_Russia.E2.80....). Quite a few have been shot down. MANPADS are getting more omnipresent, and overall theater air superiority will not always be enough.
- tim333 12y agoNot sure any of the shooting downs have been with MANPADS though.
- mturmon 12y agoYou have to read the link: "On 4 October 1999, a Su-25 was shot down by a MANPADS during a reconnaissance mission over the village of Tolstoy-Yurt killing its pilot. The wings of the aircraft were put on a pedestal in the central square in Grozny."
- techdragon 12y agoOk there's the fist problem. Why is a CAS plane doing recon? The CAS role consists of two things: 1st, bring death from above with heavy firepower and weapons capable of seriously damaging and mobile threat in the area of engagement; 2nd, be the invincible angels, surviving everything from small arms fire to light Flak cannons through to even a stinger missile or two. The survival part of their role necessitates not going in blind, a CAS plane has no place doing a recon flight. It would be like riding a wounded horse through a hungry pride of lions to check on how hungry they are. In a world of satellites and drones, recon is their job, they are unmatched at it, smaller, safer, cheaper. Tasking a CAS airframe with recon work is going to cost you a plane, and possibly a pilot as well. This is why the A-10 remains effective. It's a bone saw or a rib spreader, designed for a task. Yes these days with a da vinci robot you don't need to crack open the ribs as often, but when you need the rib cage open or you need to saw through the humerus to amputate, those are the tools you use. The A-10 is a dedicated specialist the airforce wishes to replace with more general purpose planes, which may work some of the time, but won't work all the time.
- nl 12y agoI think you are reading a lot into a Wikipedia summary of some fairly vague reporting. I suspect the "reconnaissance" was tactical recon: they were hunting things to shoot up. They didn't have people on the ground there.
- tim333 12y agoAh - fair enough.