[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

An A-10 Thunderbolt II, like this one, is among the various U.S. Central Command Air Forces air assets available for providing close-air support for International Security Assistance Force troops in contact with enemy forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The A-10 is specially designed for close air support of ground forces and can be used against all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Justin T. Watson)

FORT POLK, La. -- An A-10 Thunderbolt II pulls up after destroying a ground target with its 30 mm Gatling gun during a live-fire portion of Air Warrior II here. Airmen of the 354th Fighter Squadron from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., are participating in the exercise along with Air Force joint terminal attack controllers embedded with the Army's 10th Mountain Division. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stephen Otero)

[dirtboy]

I drive by Willow Grove Air Station during my commute. Makes my day when some hogs fly overhead.

[jaydubya2]

I wonder way the replacemnt wings are necessary. Due to corrosion or fatigue, or for advancing the A-10? Maybe both?

[CholeraJoe]

Ping

[Names Ash Housewares]

Years ago I remember articles about retirement for the A-10.

Looks like it is going the B-52 route now.

[BearCub]

I'm curious as to how this contract was even possible. I would think the design of the wings would be subject to copyright and M7 Aerospace (Fairchild's successor) would have to be compensated in this deal.

You can't just go out and copy someone else's design of a plane, boat, wing, whatever.

[Squantos]

Great news !

[SierraWasp]

Great! Another fantastic A-10 thread!!!

I like it! I love it!! I want somemore of it!!!

[traumer]

[saganite]

More than anything the plane needs some more powerful engines. I had an A-10 driver tell me he could only make three passes then had to leave the fight to accelerate back up to wart speed. ;^)

[cripplecreek]

The A-10 is a personal favorite of this civilian.

[TangoLimaSierra]

More than 700 A-10s were introduced from 1976 and, despite regular threats of retirement, the type remains one of the air force’s most effective close-air support platforms.

I remember seeing A-10’s returning from runs in Laos when I was stationed in Thailand in ‘69.

[Ancesthntr]

We ought to build another 700. These are damned effective aircraft, and we’ll need all the firepower we can get in the future - China ain’t going away, but these planes are one way of keeping them on their side of the ocean.

I love that 30mm gatling gun - I have an empty shell casing that someone shipped to me about 2 years ago...a .50 BMG round fits inside with no trouble at all.

[4yearlurker]

Back in the 80’s we would go out in the pine barrens of southern NJ on the edge of the Warren Grove bombing range. It was sweet watching those warthogs dive at their targets. Back then we also saw F4s and F111s.

[Publius6961]

Great aviation news! But...

Wouldn't it be easier to tool up and build new entire planes?

Let's see... wings only... I assume that includes integral fuel tanks... Ummmm OK...

$2billion divided by 242 = roughly...

$8,264,462.81 per "wing"!
Holy mackarel!

[eyedigress]

And to think they were on the chopping block in 1990. Wow

[Eye of Unk]

There was some decent video of Warthogs doing a strafing and missile run on the Transformer movie, it was actually a pretty darn good show, I took my 13 year old son to see it yesterday.

[MarineBrat]

Gotta love Warthogs! Here's a couple of pics I took back at the Edwards AFB show this year...

Maybe the coolest formation of the day, right over our heads.  Clockwise, from the top, the P-51 Mustang, F-15 Eagle, A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog), and the F-22 Raptor.

Notice something interesting about the Warthog.  It has a fake cockpit painted on its underbelly to help disguise its orientation.

The only two seater A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) ever made.

[Chode]

[B4Ranch]

>>Boeing has yet to select its fabrication contractors for the rewinging project, which will begin with an 18-month engineering phase and is scheduled for completion by September 2018.<<

Probably, China will get the contract. They’ll need this technology for their military aircraft.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Good. We were going to lose the whole plane.