Some A-10 Warthogs may dodge retirement under proposed Senate bill

Yahoo ^ | July 11, 2025 | Stephen Losey

[george76]

Some A-10 Warthogs could get a reprieve from total retirement as Congress moves to reverse some of the Pentagon’s most dramatic Air Force cuts in its proposed fiscal 2026 budget.

The Pentagon’s budget, which the department released in June, calls for the Air Force to retire its remaining 162-plane fleet of A-10 attack aircraft in 2026, two years earlier than originally intended. It also calls for canceling the E-7 Wedgetail program in favor of E-2D Hawkeyes and space-based sensors, and cutting the planned purchase of F-35A Joint Strike Fighters down to 24, or nearly in half.

The proposed E-7 and F-35 cuts sent shockwaves through the Air Force community and prompted 16 retired four-star generals — including six former chiefs of staff — to speak out against the changes. They sent top congressional leaders a letter Monday urging lawmakers to change course.

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Friday announced it had approved its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which would mitigate some of the A-10 and F-35 changes.

The committee’s NDAA would require the Air Force to keep at least 103 Warthogs in 2026. And it would add 10 more F-35As to the service’s procurement list, to buy 35 of the advanced fighters.

The chairman’s mark of the House Armed Services Committee’s NDAA, also released on Friday, would restore funding for the Air Force’s E-7 program. The E-7 is a Boeing-made airborne battle management that would replace the aging E-3 Sentry, or Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft.

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TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: a10; a10warthogs; airforce; congress; defensenews; gannett; pentagon; usatoday; warthogs

[minnesota_bound]

So the military is replacing the A-10 with an aircraft that costs far more and is not protected like the A-10 and carries less ammunition.....