A10 & U2 to be retired?

NightFlight
I'd like to see an AC-22 Osprey type gunship with two GAU 30mm weapons.

There has been some talk out of AFSOC of adding serious weaponry to the MC-22. More in the mode of Harvest Hawk than AC-130. Probably off the ramp. Hanging things off the wing is going to be tricky with those big rotors. I don't think you could strengthen the cabin enough to haul around two big GAU-8's like the A-10. Just the weight of weapons and ammo might be a stretch, nevermind the extra weight of the cabin. Maybe a 30mm like a Bushmaster variant? Half the weight. The good news (if you approve of spending the money this way) is that what special forces want, they usually get.

I think the A-10 talk makes some sense from the AF side of things. Cuts a good amount of money for other programs and when you have to choose between specialists and generalists, the specialists usually lose. I also think they know or suspect how universally beloved the plane is and figure this might be a way to weasel additional funding. Sort of how when congress talks about budget cuts, it's always alleged that the elderly and the children are going to suffer.

and let us not forget the troops who are getting the chop 120.000 and all the people who supply them that is a lot of people losing jobs at home and abroad but america's spending of $500 + billion per year has got out of hand