The U.S. Air Force's A-10 Has A New Mission

A-10 WARTHOG GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT HAVE BEGUN FLYING OUT OF CLARK AIR BASE, PHILIPPINES. IMAGE SOURCE: U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. BENJAMIN W. STRATTON.

The Motley Fool: A New (Maritime) Mission for Old A-10 Warthogs?

Fairchild Republic's old winged warhorse rides again over the South China Sea.

Just to the south of China, there's a body of water conveniently named the "South China Sea." According to international law, it's open and free to passage by anyone who wants to use it. From China's perspective, though, if it's got China's name on it, it belongs to China.

The U.S. Air Force and four A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" attack planes beg to differ.

Red storm rising

The past few years have been full of stories of Chinese military activities in the South China Sea -- tales of small-scale naval actions against Vietnamese fishing boats, of artificial islands suddenly rising from the seas to sprout military airfields, and the like. China's submarine fleet, too, has been unusually active in the region and, in at least one recent instance, was spotted "stalking" the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in international waters.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I do not know if the A-10 is the right plane to be flying over the South China Sea .... but they are there, and they are fulfilling their mission.