Deadly force: A line up of A-10s at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Planes of this type will arrive in Kuwait for combat operations next week
Sandra Erwin, RCD: Congressional Fight to Keep A-10 Aircraft Alive Tells Bigger Story
Patching up aging airplanes is an accepted part of life in the U.S. Air Force. An oft-repeated factoid in budget hearings on Capitol Hill is that the nation’s combat pilots fly aircraft that are older than they are. As alarming as that might sound, the budget fight now unfolding in Washington suggests that the modernization of the fleet will take much longer than hoped.
A drawn-out political battle over the fate of the A-10 combat aircraft fleet serves as a microcosm of the larger struggle to modernize the force. The 1970s-era airplane, nicknamed the Warthog, was scheduled for retirement three years ago, but lawmakers pushed back, arguing that the Air Force didn’t have an adequate replacement. In a strong statement of support and frustration, the House Armed Services Committee added $103 million to the Pentagon’s 2018 budget for A-10 wing upgrades.
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Update: The A-10 Warthog Lives (Weekly Standard)
WNU Editor: Bottom line .... a number of A-10s will still be flying in the 2030s.
