Posted on 07/12/2025 9:19:36 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Airtractors with no 30MM.
“Doesn’t really matter, we’ll all die of old age by the time something gets developed.”
They already have the replacements. Airtractors.
I was at Myrtle Beach in the Mid-70s when they started swapping A-7Ds for A-10s - got to see some amazing airshows...
Good. These things should be covering our north and south borders from foreign invaders being commanded by DemonRATS with the takeover of America.
It’ll be such a sad day when they really do retire the A-10s. Man I love those things.
Just because the U.S. isn't interested in asymmetrical warfare doesn't mean our enemies aren't interested in using it against us.
The A-10 was made for close attack; but they can also carry precision standoff weapons.
The navy doesn't have enough ships and the Air Force is short of airplanes. The fix is to get rid of over 200 combat proven aircraft that are bought and paid for and borrow money from Red China to buy a dozen craft that cost one hundred millions each.
This kind of thinking has resulted in the U.S. having just 19 of our most modern bomber. Nineteen!
One more accidental loss - they happen - and we will lose five percent of our B-2 fleet.
Quantity has a quality of its own; especially on day 2, week two, and year two of total war.
The crop duster will cost 20-30 million dollars each.
The AF considers the F-16 a close air support aircraft.
Good deal the A-10 Warthogs are one wicked plane you don’t want coming after you if your the bad guy/gal.
Nothing if the fighter mafia is in charge.
The nature of warfare is changing radically and we have to re tool our military to the emerging threats we face.
The big issue that we have learned in the Ukraine and the Middle East is that once a war gets rolling, it's hard to stop and the fighting escalates out of control.
We need to focus on deterrence to prevent wars from starting in the first place and the Trump Administrations military polices are geared towards re establishing American military deterrence in an increasingly unstable world.
The Trump Admin is doing a stellar job of re establishing deterrence
he AF considers the F-16 a close air support aircraft.
Ironic when the motto of the entire F-16 development program was “not one pound for air to ground”
I forgot about that. Seems the F-35 is also slated as a ground pounder.
It’s the most effective close combat weapon ever developed. So instead of assigning it to the Army, they give it to the AF. This is just stupid.
Plenty of video from Gaza and elsewhere showing air support for ground troops not visible or almost not visible from the ground. True close air support is from drones.
“The crop duster will cost 20-30 million dollars each.”
I think the Air Force really doesn’t care much about providing close air support but doesn’t want anyone else doing it.
The Izzys are masters of this approach.
The A-10 has the load capacity for this mission but it does not have all the needed systems currently installed in the aircraft nor the needed survivability to get the job done and make it home in one piece.
I don’t know why they don’t just move that program to the Army. Ground troops appreciate the help while the Air Force only wants the real expensive weapons systems. Also, why does the Air Force have Spec Ops personnel?
Living in the past and preparing for the last war doesn’t help provide the necessary training or equipment for the next.
And part of that deterrence was the dispatching of A-10s to tamp down Houthis misconduct in Yemen.
That happened just three months ago. So far as I know the A-10s are still on duty nearby.
In 10 or 20 years we may have a dozen or more F-47s that can do the job better.
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