Army air corps continue to present day.

[insect]

The corps ceased funtioniong in 1942 what if it was in existence today?

[riggerrob]

There would be less debate about dedicated ground attack aircraft like the A-10 Warthog, because the Air Corps first mission would still be supporting ground troops. Given plenty of fixed-wing, ground-support airplanes, we doubt if modern attack helicopters (Bell Huey Cobra) would have ever been inverted.

[gillan1220]

Sept 18, 2020 16:39:26 GMT riggerrob said:

There would be less debate about dedicated ground attack aircraft like the A-10 Warthog, because the Air Corps first mission would still be supporting ground troops. Given plenty of fixed-wing, ground-support airplanes, we doubt if modern attack helicopters (Bell Huey Cobra) would have ever been inverted.

Why not? Helicopters were used in limited numbers during the final stages of WWII and it was only a matter of time until they would be weaponized?

[stevep]

Nov 24, 2020 4:21:01 GMT gillan1220 said:

Sept 18, 2020 16:39:26 GMT riggerrob said:

There would be less debate about dedicated ground attack aircraft like the A-10 Warthog, because the Air Corps first mission would still be supporting ground troops. Given plenty of fixed-wing, ground-support airplanes, we doubt if modern attack helicopters (Bell Huey Cobra) would have ever been inverted.

Why not? Helicopters were used in limited numbers during the final stages of WWII and it was only a matter of time until they would be weaponized?

  I would agree that there are likely to be both fixed wing and rotary a/c involved in the ground support role.  Helicopters have some advantages in comparison to fixed wing a/c being able to operate from small 'airfields' and also to loiter and change directions more easily.  Conventional a/c have greater range and carrying capacity plus greater speed so also have advantages in different ground attack roles.

  Assuming that while the AAC remains the USAF comes into being for the longer range strategic roles?  Especially when nukes come into existence as their the only way initially to deploy them realistically.

[gillan1220]

Nov 24, 2020 13:25:34 GMT stevep said:

Nov 24, 2020 4:21:01 GMT gillan1220 said:

Why not? Helicopters were used in limited numbers during the final stages of WWII and it was only a matter of time until they would be weaponized?

  I would agree that there are likely to be both fixed wing and rotary a/c involved in the ground support role.  Helicopters have some advantages in comparison to fixed wing a/c being able to operate from small 'airfields' and also to loiter and change directions more easily.  Conventional a/c have greater range and carrying capacity plus greater speed so also have advantages in different ground attack roles.

  Assuming that while the AAC remains the USAF comes into being for the longer range strategic roles?  Especially when nukes come into existence as their the only way initially to deploy them realistically.

I could the USAF being more for longer strategic roles. So it's very possible the Army Air Corps would operate the A-10 Thunderbolt or the AC-130 just like its Air Force counterpart. It would most likely resemble Army and Navy aviation. Expect some C-130s in the mix.

In sense, the Army Air Corps never ended because the U.S. Army still has an aviation where it operates UH-60s, Little Birds, Apaches, Cobras, Hueys, and Kiowas.