USAF just completed a massive upgrade program on most of the A10’s including new wings. They may put a few in storage but the A10’s will be flying for many more years. Planes are often cycled through storage to manage the fleet.
Yeah, reading further into the article, the 44 A10s being retired are the oldest in the inventory.
My bad!
The headline implies the end of the A-10. I read the article and that is NOT what is happening with 44 being put in storage.
Military.com: "Pletcher on Monday said the retirement will affect "the oldest and least-ready aircraft" in order to modernize a combat-capable fleet of 218 total A-10s across seven squadrons."
Military.com :"To date, the Air Force has 281 A-10s in its inventory (two A-10s were destroyed in a collision in 2017), but has repeatedly stressed it can maintain roughly six of its nine A-10 combat squadrons through 2032, which is why officials have not committed to buying new wings for the entire fleet."
Military.com: "Through the next iteration of the effort, the "A-10-Thunderbolt II Advanced-Wing Continuation Kit," or "ATTACK" program, the service will begin re-winging the rest "of the A-10s that remain in the inventory" after 44 planes are cut, a spokeswoman said Monday."
Stop freaking out folks. PilotDave has it correct. The Warthog is not going away anytime soon.