HitorMiss said:
And I have no doubt that the Ground Attack Fighter has it uses, same as the Attack Helicopter, but nothing in my mind has beaten the loiter power of an AC130.
Say we have 1 AC130 in theater and 6 GAF, I call in for CAS now sure that GAF fight will make it their first not even a question, and they will save our butts short term and likely keep us in the fight long enough for the AC130 to arrive but it's ordinance and loiter is limited by allot. Vs the AC130 which conceivably could loiter for hours with out refuel or re arm thus keeping us safe much much longer then the the GAF ever could. Plus as you mentioned it functions out of austere airfields much like the CF-5 and the Grippen.
In terms of bang for your buck CAS the AC130 is the way to go IMO...now bang for your buck in terms of firepower and loiter time, in terms of crew's etc it's and expensive commodity.
So what if we have one in theatre and it's broken, or tending to a Priority One mission when you're Priority Two, or expends its ammo?
Type of airframe doesn't affect coverage much, nor does country of ownership.
And overspecialization isn't good.
Airpower is pooled. The troops on the ground, regardless of nationality, will get what's currently on tap, regardless of nationality. It'll be decided based upon priority, availability, weapon suitability etcetera. Coverage could be provided for many hours if necessary regardless of the specific airframe(s) employed. That singular AC130 may be able to hang around for ten hours or whatever, but that's irrelevant but if the last bullet's gone downrange in the first thirty minutes on station - moseying on home for a reload will take longer than you want. Fighters can remain on station for quite some time with aerial refuelling and can be replaced quickly and continually once engaged. There is a wider variety of weaponry available as well. There's also the B52 loafing around at 30,000 feet with a bellyful of GPS-guided bombs.
A10s were continually on station whenever anything significant was going on during my three Fallexes, and were fed in on fifteen-minute intervals. I've FACed A7s, Mirages, Harriers, CF5s, and probably a few other things on those and other major exs as well - whatever shows up when something is called for.
And while I've not had the benefit of a tour in Afghanistan, my guess would be that "austere" airfield is not a factor. It either operates from a defended airfield with a decent runway, reliable fuel supply, and facilities for servicing, repair, re-arming, and crew rest and feeding or it doesn't operate. "Austere" facilities for light fighters generally means a flat stretch of straight multi-lane highway free of power lines on one's own side of the FEBA in a NATO vs WP type of scenario and some method of providing the aforementioned requirements.
AC130s are neat aeroplanes, but wouldn't provide what you think/want and that sort of limited-use special capability is nowhere near the top of our priority list.
