Can the F-35 Stealth Fighter Really Replace the A-10 Warthog?

Can the F-35 Stealth Fighter Really Replace the A-10 Warthog?

Key Points and Summary – The A-10 Thunderbolt II was purpose-built for close air support: long loiter, armor, and a 30mm cannon to shred tanks. But in peer fights with dense, layered air defenses—like those seen over Ukraine—non-stealth jets struggle to survive near the front. A-10 Warthog. Image Credit: Creative Commons. -The F-35 can’t loiter like an A-10, yet its stealth, precision weapons, and powerful sensor-fusion let it find, fix, and pas…