After repeatedly losing the battle with Congress over continued funding for the aircraft, Carter said that the fiscal 2017 proposed budget for the Pentagon was putting off the next fight over retiring the aircraft known as the “Warthog” to generations of ground troops until 2022.
Even then, Carter said the Air Force and the Defense Department would approach sending the A-10s to the “boneyard” for outdated aircraft carefully, given the aircraft’s strong performance in Iraq and Syria and likely continued support in Congress unless there is a radical makeover in the membership.
Committee members possibly assumed that keeping the A-10s in the Air Force fleet was a given. Carter was not asked about the aircraft but addressed the issue in his prepared remarks.
“We’re pushing off the A-10’s final retirement until 2022 so we can keep more aircraft that can drop smart bombs on ISIL,” Carter said, referring to another acronym for ISIS.
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9 comments:
One of the most durable planes ever built along with superior firepower.
Good move.
You have to wonder what it took to make them relent.
Scrapping this aircraft would be flat-out stupid.
we need more cargo planes to import osamas friends from syria
If they let these open up on the Mexicans crossing illegal we would end the problem in a couple of days.
Somebody finally listened to the troops.
This aircraft is a unique tool that is used for maneuvers no other plane we have can do! Better to push it back to 2037 at least, unless a real replacement can be built and proven.
If you've ever seen one of these in action you'd have to ask, why did they ever consider moth balling this rugged support aircraft.
Should use these in places like Baltimore this past summer, end of Riot in 5 minutes!
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