An Air Force Plane Slated For The Scrap Heap Is Now On The Front Lines Against ISIS (A-10, Warthog)

BI - International Business Times ^ | 9-23-2014 | Christopher Harress

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Christopher Harress, International Business Times
September 23, 2014

A-10 Warthog in Afghanistan upload.wikimedia.org

As the U.S. begins bombing ISIS targets in Syria with a campaign of airstrikes that started Monday, a venerable airplane that was almost sent to the scrapyard joins the fight. The Pentagon will send a dozen A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft and up to 300 airmen to the Middle East in early October, to help in the conflict against the Islamic State group, the Indiana National Guard said.

The deployment of the 40-year-old aircraft comes just four months after it was controversially saved from defense cuts by Congress, whose rationale for saving it was simple: Cutting it would lead to the deaths of U.S. servicemen on the ground.

Built originally by now-defunct Fairchild to destroy Soviet tanks in Europe, the A-10 survived the end of the Cold War thanks to its ability to fly low, carry lots of bombs and a large cannon, and help troops with close air support, which made it often invaluable in Afghanistan. But with defense cuts looming and the Afghan war winding down, the Thunderbolt seemed on the way out.

The aircraft, while favored by some Air Force top brass, was slated to be cut from the defense budget in early May, with potential savings of about $4 billion over a five-year period. The more than 300 A-10s in service would have been grounded.

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[NonValueAdded]

ausgezeichnet! Killer Chick indeed. God Bless her.

[ops33]

I was wondering the same thing myself. My guess was the British base in Cyprus.

[b4its2late]

I bet. I saw one on the range at Fort Riley Kansas in the 80’s. Awesome. Flew right over the spectator area and took out a vehicle out on the range. A Cobra copter did too, along with the Big Red 1 firing from various points down range. Million dollar minute.