In message .com,
Douglas Eagleson writes
I am an avocate of adding afterburners to the A-10 for just this
reason. A long duration of coverage is the defensive role.

Afterburners reduce duration, they don't add to it.

A five hour rotation is possible for the Warthog upgraded. A radar
targeted front cannon is real cool.

No radar on the A-10 and nowhere to put one (the cannon and the
refuelling receptacle get in the way)

Mach 1.5 is possible even for the odd shape.

Straight down, maybe...

And this is enough for
coverage air to air fighting. A short evasive is the basic missile
defense.

A basic airframe is perfect for the defensive role fighter.

Right, which explains why the MiG-21 has such a stellar kill ratio
against overcomplicated monsters like the F-15 and F-16.

Whatever the A-10's virtues, its value for air-to-air combat is
extremely limited.

--
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
Julius Caesar I:2

Paul J. Adam MainBoxatjrwlynch[dot]demon{dot}co(.)uk