The Warthog is basically a flying gatling gun, and it’s terrifying if you’re on the angry end.
Simply put, the A-10 is a SkyTank, beloved by pilots and troops alike. We wrote about the A-10 last year and the article
attracted more than 1,700 comments, many from service members sharing stories about the A-10 and more than a few claiming they would have been killed if not for the aircraft and its pilots.
“The GAO findings reinforce what soldiers, special operators, and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers have said from the beginning: the premature divestment of the A-10 will create a close air support capability gap, increase the risk to our ground troops, and result in unnecessary American casualties,” Ayotte says. “If the Air Force decides to ignore the clear and consistent will of the overwhelming majority of soldiers, special operators, and JTACs, I will continue to stand with them in opposition to the Air Force’s plans to prematurely divest the A-10.”
Senator McCain concurs: “This report underscores the concerns I have been raising for years about the Air Force’s misguided attempts to prematurely retire this vital aircraft … As the GAO confirms, any premature divestment of the A-10 would not only fail to achieve the Air Force’s purported cost savings, but also leave us with a serious capability gap that could put the lives of American soldiers in danger.”
What makes the plane’s continued relevance so impressive is the fact it was designed more than 40 years ago, and a new one hasn’t been built since 1984.
That durability and effectiveness is especially striking given
the rolling debacle that is the F-35 program. The development project has stumbled time and again, and according to one report this week, the trillion dollar superplane gets its
ass kicked in dogfights with much older aircraft. Is it any surprise the Senators want to keep the A-10 around at least a while longer?