An A-10 Warthog over Afghanistan. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. William Greer
Good Bye, A-10. We Hardly Knew Ye. -- Wings Over Iraq
Okay, US Air Force, we get it. You never really liked the Close Air Support mission to begin with. (Just look at how few pictures of A-10s and UAVs appear on the US Air Force’s Flickr page, as opposed to F-22s, F-35s, and CV-22s) But if there’s one thing you hated more, it’s ceding bureaucratic turf to the Army even more (RIP AH-56 Cheyenne). And now, we’re left with this:
Step 1.) Cut costs by deactivating five squadrons of A-10 Warthogs, the US Air Force’s venerable close air support aircraft.
Step 2.) Give the close air support mission to the new F-35 Lightning II, a Pentagon boondoggle expected to cost over one trillion dollars–more than the entire GDP of Australia–over its proposed 50-year career.
Step 3.) Profit!
Read more ....More News On Cutbacks In The A-10 Fleet
Proposed A-10 cuts total 29% of inventory -- Air Force Times
Defense Cuts Include A-10 Warthog -- Weekly Standard
5 A-10 squadrons to be cut -- Air Force Times
Will the A-10 `Lazarus’ Cheat Death Once Again? -- Time
Air Force to park most A-10s -- Sky Talk
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