Posted on 04/28/2023 8:56:48 AM PDT by Red Badger
The US Air Force has been trying for years to retire its aging fleet of A-10 Warthog planes. During a Thursday hearing, the service secretary said the aircraft "doesn't scare China." "It still has some limited utility, but we have to get on with things," Frank Kendall told Congress.
The US Air Force has long butted heads with Congress over plans for the retirement of its aging A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft — flying cannons also known as Warthogs, and on Thursday, service leadership stressed to legislators that it's time to move on because the warplane is less useful than it was 40 years ago and simply "doesn't scare" China.
The Department of the Air Force Posture Statement about the 2024 fiscal year budget outlines specific divestments that the service branch wants to undertake so it can continue to modernize and adapt to relevant threats. The document requests that Congress allow for the retirement of 42 A-10 Warthogs because the aircraft "does not deter or survive against our pacing challenge, and we need to move forward."
Frank Kendall, the secretary of the Air Force, reiterated this Thursday afternoon during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the service's budget request when ranking member Rep. Adam Smith asked Kendall if he could outline some of the programs that the Air Force plans to divest and why it is important that Congress avoids getting in the way.
"I'll start with the A-10," Kendall said in his response. "It's over 40 years old. It was, in its time, a great aircraft — it served us well. I was an advocate for that program for a long time, but it doesn't scare China."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
So, we are going to give them away.
What is this clown’s experience with close air support? He is an idiot.
Nothing is survivable against modern air defense. It’s the tactics of how to employ and operate the system.
I’m glad, although I don’t think it should be a reason, that it doesn’t scare them (which I think is conjecture-have you ever heard that darn cannon squeeze off a few rounds?!). All the more surprising when they blow everything away in short order.
The US Army isn't allowed to have fixed wing air craft.
Maybe add a propeller beanie?
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Amen. The Air Force has always hated the close support mission. Someone who fitted by her testimony every blond joke stereotype tried to tell John McCain the B-1 bomber was a close support aircraft.
USAF wants a new toy. They are great old school weapons that put the fear of God into the enemy. Look at the M-2 Browning .50 cal. That is some old tech, but we’ve got Ma-Duece on all sorts of vehicles and used lots of places.
Piss off AF!
Here come the anti-A-10 idiots. We just need a new version of A-10, that’s all.
“We want a NEW TOY”
Saw several Navy platforms go into sunset and eventually get retired in my time with the DoD.....P-3, EA6B, S-3 and F-14.......every one of ‘em had a replacement in the wings ready to take the place of the old A/C......I saw no such plans in this article.
solution...
give A10 to Army
replace F15 16 22 35 B1 2 21 52 with drones
everybody wins
If I were an enemy ground-pounder or armored trooper, it would scare the hell out of me!
“I suspect that they are being used to train Ukrainian pilots”
More likely they won’t be Ukrainian pilots flying them over there.
This stupid asshole had never served a single day in combat. Mr. MIC should stfu.
Do blue haired trannies with pronoun troubles scare China?
Asking for a friend.
“Makes sense. Even though it is heavily armored, it’s not survivable against anybody with modern air defense.”
Perhaps, just pisses me off when we have no successor and we’re heading into war with Russia and China. Perhaps waiting a year or so to bitch about the A-10s wouldn’t make us look quite as incompetent.
Translation: “Our MIC Masters want a new cash cow.”
Who cares about China? FJB himself said they are no big deal.
We want a NEW TOY.............................
A fast, high-flying, sexy new toy.
Not anything that flies slow, low, and uggggggggly.
Saw a P-3 flying with the A-10’s just this week.................
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