[Por_sha911]

Both the AT-6 and A-29 are single engine planes (lower survivability if hit). The AT-6 relies heavily on computer technology. Neither one has 30 mm armor piercing rounds. Neither one can carry half the rounds of the A10. Neither one is very well suited for landing in rough terrain.

Aside from the Predator drone's Reaper model, the A-10 Thunderbolt II is the cheapest aircraft to operate in terms of both flight hours and individual procurement costs. The A-10's low costs are due to the plane's rugged but functional structural designs.

Built like a flying tank for maximum survivability, the A-10 can be serviced even at remote or less-equipped bases and facilities, since a majority of the aircraft's parts are interchangeable — including the engines.

Chart Shows Hourly Cost Of Military Aircraft - Business Insider

“The A-10 is the best ‘close attack’ plane ever made, period,” Sprey tells me. “But the Air Force hates that mission. They’ll do anything they can to kill that plane.” He says retiring the iconic A-10, a twin-engine attack jet with 30-mm cannons that hit with 14 times the kinetic energy of the 20-mm guns mounted on America’s current fleet of supersonic fighters, became an article of faith among high ranking Air Force officers, generations of whom had been raised to believe in the redemptive power of technological innovation.

The WWII-Era Plane Giving the F-35 a Run for Its Money | Motherboard

The F-35 is supposed to be the A-10 replacement: Cost per hour: $67,550
Cost A-10 per hour: $11,500

That said, CHEAPER IS NOT BETTER. ITS JUST CHEAP.
Maybe you won't mind sending your son into battle with the cheapest possible plane above him.