USAF Wants 'Flying Coke Machine' UCAV to replace A-10

The Air Force wants to replace the aging but beloved A-10 “Warthog” with a robotic “flying coke machine” that loiters over the battlefield, dispensing firepower at the touch of a button, the outgoing Chief of Staff said this morning.

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“Eventually, I think the right close air support replacement is something that’s overhead for ground forces all the time,” Welsh said. “It’s firepower on demand, it’s flying artillery…an orbiting weapons station.”

Or you could call it “a flying coke machine,” Welsh said, using a phrase used 10 years ago to describe combat drones. “Put your quarter in and you get whatever kind of firepower you want,” he said. “[E.g.] ‘it would be really nice to have area fire right now, and I mean right now.’ 911-ROCKETS.”

“I have a son who’s an infantry officer in the Marine Corps,” Welsh said. “As his dad, I’d like him to have that.” But there’s no money and no program to develop such an aircraft.

breakingdefense.com...

The problem is the Budget Control Act. And USAF program management.


www.defensenews.com...

a reply to: anzha

Erm...Zaphod??? any idea whats going on?

a reply to: souljacker

A few. Nothing concrete has been laid out, but a few ideas have been tossed around.

a reply to: souljacker

Ever seen the Terminator movies?

a reply to: anzha


So the Air Force chief of staff is saying that we don't have the remarkable craft we have been calling black triangles? Dang! That means such observed craft are from some other power, either alien or domestic.

But what about the fact that one was seen at low level with a hatch trimmed in the traditional red outline and labelled "Rescue"?


The devious word games, shifting of plans and equipment will continue as long as they have the funds and the ability to hide from the American public what every intelligence agency in the world knows quite well.

a reply to: Aliensun

how do we know that the black triangles are suitable for combat? We know nothing about capability and technology---they might be very fragile, certainly expensive, and easy to hit with a SAM.

The real problem is Army not being able to design & buy its own aircraft.

Why put at risk the allegedly most secret of the USA,s arsenal by putting it in combat..Rq-170 in Iran comes to mind..

a reply to: souljacker

How about a B-1 loitering at high altitude with an eclectic load in the twin rotary bays and self defense weapons on the wing.

Or same thing with based on a B-52

Or a B-2

Or the B-21 they are planning.

a reply to: SmilingROB

Things get scary when you are danger close asking for support that way.

a reply to: SmilingROB

B-1s have to fly to be able to perform CAS.

Black triangles..Hang gliders :-P