> Are A-10s cheaper to operate than a G-V? (costing at least 8,000 per hr)

Not necessarily, but they're a hell of a lot more robust. Thunderstorms are a really violent environment and no place for an executive jet.

and it looks like work has been underway to use an A-10 for just this purpose for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunder...

found some hourly cost of ownership data: A-10 17k per hour, G3 32K per hour. (compared to <6K for a civilian G3)

http://nation.time.com/2013/04/02/costly-flight-hours/

And besides, nothing says you mean business by making your appearance in an A-10. Gets them everytime.