May 1, 2019 · To replace the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the USAF started to develop A-16, close air support (CAS) version of the basic F-16 Fighter jet.

The A-16 began as a late-1980s GD project to develop a close air support (CAS) version of the basic F-16 by adding armor and strengthening the wings for a heavier weapons load, including a 30 mm cannon and 7.62 mm Minigun pods. Two F-16A Block 15 aircraft were modified to …

Jan 12, 2018 · In the attempt to replace the A-10 Thunderbolt II, in the 1980’s the U.S. Air Force (USAF) started to develop the A-16, a close air support (CAS) version of the basic F-16 armed with a 30 mm cannon and 7.62 mm Minigun pods. Several F-16A Block 15 aircraft were painted in the ‘European One’ camouflage scheme and were modified to this ...

Dec 1, 2019 · The F-16 alone had flown more CAS missions than the A-10. No matter. The A-10 was a symbol of commitment to soldiers engaged in close combat, and Congress refused permission for its retirement.

The USAF was rather reluctant to let the idea of a dedicated CAS F-16 go, and planned to replace its A-10's with F-16s fitted with a version of the Warthog's Avenger cannon.

May 25, 2023 · Three of the movement’s unifying themes were (1) that the F-16 was not the right airplane for the close-air-support mission, (2) the CAS mission was being neglected in the Air Force’s current war-fighting doctrine, and (3) the A-10 was exactly the right airplane for the mission. The group was labeled by some as being “anti-F-16.”

The Air Force had been under pressure at one time to field a dedicated CAS version of the F-16, the "A-16", with increased armor and the Pave Claw pod -- but the USAF has always been ambivalent about the CAS role, and managed to avoid obtaining such a specialized variant.

Flying F-16s, F-15Es, and other aircraft over Iraq and Afghanistan has built up a foundation of experience to build better CAS tactics on, Mills said. Some of those lessons have come at great cost, as pilots have been lost in accidents—both in training and in …

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft with over 4,600 built since 1976. [4]

CAS, to include the F-16, F-15E, B-1, B-52 and others, the ability to fly ‘low and slow’ with a substantial on-station time and a large load-out of weapons to employ against enemy forces is unmatched by any other platform.