The 10 Most Expensive Weapons in the World

[Pooky 3,828]

Look at it this way; an F-35A pilot could zip to a spot at any altitude without being seen, fire her weapons, then zip to the next spot.

Again with the LockMart sales Kool-Aid.

To fly the CAS profile that the A-10 performs, the Thunderpig needs to hang stores externally. When it does this, you lose two main "advantages" it has over the 'Hog - supersonic speed and any semblance of stealth it might have had. The radar reflections off the stores and pylons will make it stand out like a sore thumb and turn it into a easy-to-lock target.

When that happens, you want to be in the 'Hog, for two main reasons. Number 1, it has two engines and can fly on just one. The Thunderpig has one engine, it's rather expensive and the plane acts like a bad glider without it. Number 2, the 'Hog is armored and survivable, whereas the Thunderpig is not. Given the same amount of damage, the 'Hog is always more likely to make it home. To a pilot, that is always a consideration.