The A-10 naysayers who predict heavy losses in battle against an opponent well equipped with the latest MANPADs and other modern anti-air defenses are probably correct, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still retain utility, and at quite reasonable cost. I would compare them to the (vastly more expensive) carriers of the Navy. Those ships, in spite of best efforts at layered protection, will suffer frightening levels of loss when/if we go against a first-tier enemy, yet in the meantime will still serve their intended purposes.