Auto countermeasures are one significant reason, I’d say. I appreciate the pure 80s feel of the scenario, so it’s possible the Harrier in the form we’re getting it isn’t a great fit, but I’d trade mavs on the A-10 for the LGBs on the F-5. Don’t get me wrong, I love the GBUs, but they aren’t era correct and right now, it’s more efficient for a flight of F-5s to work a FARP with a JTAC than for the A-10s to love the mud.
That said, I love the NTTR version of BF. Even if it doesn’t change it’s still my favorite server, by far