Do you know anything about changes in tactics related to MANPAD threats, then? I read some about the Soviet war in Afghanistan, where we supplied MANPADs to the rebels for use against Soviet helicopters. Reportedly, they didn't actually shoot down very many helicopters, but they were very effective in that the threat of them forced the helicopters to engage from much further away from the battle and move at higher speeds to limit their vulnerability, but also limiting their effectiveness.
I wonder if there has been an affect like that on the A10s. And I wonder if anybody who knows is actually allowed to tell us.
When was the last time an A-10 was shot down in air-to-air combat? Never? They must be unstoppable!
But, seriously, there's that old saying: the only way to bring down an A-10 is to put a suicidal pilot in the cockpit.
I ask as an actual A-10C pilot, with many more hours flying it than you have in a "sim".