Air Force Open to Sending A-10s to Ukraine for Fight Against Russia

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Wednesday that some of America's aging A-10 Thunderbolt combat jets could potentially be given to Ukraine as part of continued efforts to help that country repel Russian forces.

"That's largely up to Ukraine," Kendall said. "Older U.S. systems are a possibility. ... We will be open to discussions with them about what their requirements are and how we might be able to satisfy them."

"I'm not aware of any current plan or even a discussion of a current plan to field or provide A-10s to the Ukrainians," Kendall said at the time.

The A-10, a big airframe with a 57 foot, 6-inch wingspan, has been in service with the U.S. military since the 1970s and has become beloved by troops for its ability to endure extensive damage while delivering ample munitions and still making it home. It was used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing close-air support for troops as it lumbered above at a max speed of 420 miles per hour, glacial by modern jet standards.

“We can go on and one but it is clear, for CAS nothing beats the Hog.”

That was a very good, clear and concise rebuttal.

The Russians have lost at least nine of their version of the A-10 in battle and the Russians have been very circumspect in using any aircraft in the Ukrainian conflict. Whether their SU’s are as good as the A-10...probably not, but they are comparable. Of course, one data point on a graph where we don’t really know what the axes are isn’t much of a data point. You may be right in your assessment. Personally, I think the A-10’s mission should go to unmanned drones, but they have their own issues...mostly electronic counter measures which at the moment the Russians don’t seem to have any.

Here’s my fear. People tend to fall in love certain designs. I’ve seen people saying, gosh, just bring back the P-51 Mustangs, or battleships. I’ve seen some articles debunking the performance of the A-10’s in the Gulf War because the expectations were so high every tank killed was attributed to an A-10. Was this true? It would be hard to establish after the fact. But the true test is how would the A-10 do in a really high threat environment. It doesn’t matter if the plane brings back to pilot, in the greater scheme, if it is so damaged it can’t fly again.

The A-10 is a hugely competent design, no doubt. But I think what the Airforce wants to do is spend the two billion yearly dedicated to the A-10 on whatever the next generation will be. Who is the more correct? Only time and the next big engagement where the A-10 faces more ground threats will tell. As it appears we will be keeping the A-10 I certainly hope your assessment is the correct one.

Kind regards,
Gen.Blather

Not many get retired. Vey few can’t be repaired and mission ready.

And getting the pilot back is very important part of retention.. and we can’t easily lose pilots because it takes a lot of time and bucks to requal a pilot.

The Hog can get hit and repaired and back to mission-ready status faster than other is and this ensures numbers on the line. Cold War days, the A10 was an important part of tht major fight and was a significant force multiplier.

Fleet?. . .Navy?

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