Wired comes out with a stirring defense of the A-10 Warthog after a GAO report showed the Air Force didn’t take a very serious look at the savings and costs of retiring the plane:
The Air Force claims shutting down the A-10 program would save $4.2 billion over five years, but a new report from the Government Accountability Office shoots that down, finding USAF analysis incomplete.
More worrying (and unsurprising, to anyone who’s been paying attention), the GAO report says dropping the A-10 would “create potential gaps” in close air support. Even though every A-10 flying is more than thirty years old, it remains “the only or the best Air Force platform to conduct certain missions” like escorting helicopters (the Warthog can fly really slowly, making it effective at protecting the pokey choppers) or engaging small boats that could threaten US ships (See: USS Cole).
Close air support is a vital job that, when properly executed, can mean the difference between life and death for soldiers. It’s highly dangerous, because it requires flying at altitudes low enough to discern friend from foe, leaving the plane particularly vulnerable to ground-based anti-aircraft fire.
But the Warthog was specifically designed for close air support: the cockpit sits in a 1,200 pound titanium tub, specifically designed to withstand fire from anti-aircraft shells at close range. Every system is double or triple redundant, and it can take a ridiculous amount of abuse. It can continue flying if it’s lost an entire engine, part of its tail, or even half a wing.
And, because the A-10’s role is so important, it’s designed for easy repairs to keep it in the air. Entire engines can be quickly and easily replaced. Most repairs can even be made in the field. Many parts are interchangeable between the left and right sides of the plane, and the A-10 can take off from rough and unpaved runways. Because it has huge wings, a high wing aspect ratio and huge ailerons (almost 50 percent of its wingspan), it’s incredibly maneuverable.
The Warthog is basically a flying gatling gun, and it’s terrifying if you’re on the angry end.
Southern Arizona Congresswoman Martha McSally (R-CD2), who led an A-10 squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, said last week that the GAO report “confirms what I have worked to highlight over months of hearings: that retiring the A-10 without a replacement would create dangerous capability gaps and put American lives at risk. Not only did GAO find that divesting the A-10 would eliminate our ability to conduct Close Air Support, Combat Search and Rescue, and other critical capabilities, but that the Administration’s budget justification for doing so is based on incomplete information. While this report is welcome news, it will not eliminate the threat to the A-10, and I’m going to continue to fight to make sure we keep these vital capabilities.”
Meanwhile, War is Boring has gotten ahold of a report that shows significant problems with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that is supposed to replace the A-10:
A test pilot has some very, very bad news about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The pricey new stealth jet can’t turn or climb fast enough to hit an enemy plane during a dogfight or to dodge the enemy’s own gunfire, the pilot reported following a day of mock air battles back in January.
“The F-35 was at a distinct energy disadvantage,” the unnamed pilot wrote in a scathing five-page brief that War Is Boring has obtained. The brief is unclassified but is labeled “for official use only.”
The test pilot’s report is the latest evidence of fundamental problems with the design of the F-35 — which, at a total program cost of more than a trillion dollars, is history’s most expensive weapon.
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2015.
It says something about the endurance of the A~10 to be repeatedly brought back from the brink of extinction. This airplane has assured the safety of our troops for a generation and the only real problem is we didn’t make more of them. That being said there is no reason we can’t actually retool and build an updated, up rated version like has been done with the F/A~18.
A-10 is cheap and effective, a proven commodity.
The fact that they are sooooo quiet makes them my absolute favorite jet to have stationed at Davis Monthan AFB.
My son in law flies an Apache for the Army and he says the A10 is his lifesaver.
The Air Force should just stop pretending the F-35 will ever be a decent platform. It can never replace the A-10 nor the F-16, both of which are 40+ year old designs. They were both nearly perfect aerodynamically when they were conceived and built, and to this day are two of the most impressive jets ever to take flight. Both have had massive avionics upgrades over their life span, and their periodic maintenance programs and rolling upgrades have kept them doing their jobs well.
No planes in the world top either for what they do, and as long as the F15 or F22 are flying top cover they cannot be beat in their individual rolls of CAS and dog fighter. We don’t need the F-35.
The very LAST pig on earth you want oink’in at cha?
Why don’t the Air Force just transfer the A-10 and the entire ground support misdion to the Army?
That would fix everything.
It ain’t sexy and it doesn’t go supersonic, but the hog sure can lay down death at the right time and place. And it can take a licking but keep on ticking. The air force and the military industrial complex want more expensive, sexier toys. You can’t make a wad of money off old airplanes. Follow the money.
Mike N. if I remember correctly, the army was offered the A-10 but they didn’t want it.
Ah, but folks, the F35 has the essential mission of funneling another Trillion and a Half dollars of YOUR tax money into the pockets of the Masters of War, the MIC, the war hogs…
With dribbles and dabs to the low wage workers in fast food joints near the plants in every congressional district that get a tiny piece of the war business pie…
That’s why that pig will NOT get cancelled…
Who gives a damn about the ears, peace and sanity of Tucsonans who are going to have to live under those noisy pieces of shyte?
Of course YOUR tax dollars remain untouched ;-}
All I ever hear is that it is cheap, effective and troops love it. Sounds like an excellent thing for the people, who are doing the work of the people, to cancel. Solid.
Could this story be truly about economics for Tucson instead of any reality of what the Air Force or the Military needs? I mean if this plane is moth balled as many wish its going to mean a loss for Tucson’s economy so any story written here is got to be read with a grain of salt towards why is this plane being hawked as the only plane capable of air support for ground troops as a retired US Marine I can tell you not all air support ends well especially when napalm is dropped on friendly forces, no air plane is perfect nor any pilot, anything man can make has defects its just the way of the world!
Just as airstrikes can go awry so can skirmishes on the ground as the Tillman family can attest so, yes anything man makes as well as does is imperfect.
Consider there are two A~10 squadrons at D~M, one active duty and one Reserve. I’m going to guess maybe 50 ~ 75 pilots and then the crew chiefs. At the most that might be another 100 but those are small numbers compared to the C~130 and helicopter squadrons based there, the innumerable ground support squadrons such as supply for parts, fuel and more. In the grand scheme there MIGHT be a drawdown of about 5~10% of the base specific income. I use such a low number because there is another, fixed amount of the base economy, those retirees such as old Marines and the other services who reside in the area.
I too was initially skeptical about the mothballing of the fleet until I gave consideration to the overall economic impact.
The A`10 is the best CAS aircraft since the A~1 which it was specifically designed to replace. It was headed for retirement at the end of the Cold War since it’s main duty was tank bustin’ but was saved by Desert Storm and has figured prominently in every major & minor skirmish since then.
But it’s still subject to human flaws.
Mike Anderson and Chetdude have hit the nail on the head….. it is all about the money. Maybe the reason the Pentagon is so determined to fly the loudest fighter ever built (the F-35) over Tucson and other communities, is so that it will deafen the taxpayers to keep them from hearing the sound of their hard-earned money dropping into the coffers of the corporations making all the parts for this F (for Frankenstein)-35. We’ve been suckered big time!
Well, simplee, it is still possible to turn off the “tap”; simply write Congress and insist they curtail the funding. It has happened before {can you say; “Vietnam”?} so there is no reason for it to fail again if enough people insist. It might take a few million but this is still the nation of possibilities. Of course you might receive some opposition from those plant workers who would lose their jobs but that would only be minor “collateral damage”. Git ‘er dun.
Actually Harold…. I would rather see my tax money used for unemployment, retraining, and even relocation (if necessary) of factory workers than to do what you seem to be advocating…. continuing to throw good money after bad!
Well, simplee, you WON’T see your, or mine or anyone else’s tax money used as you suggested until YOU begin the writing campaign I suggested. I think there is even a link on the White House website for people who want to start a petition campaign. And when you get it started post a link here so the rest of us will know you have “put your money where your mouth is” and we can join in with you. Git ‘er dun.
If the military comes up with something as good or better than the A10 I would be for that but from what I have seen they have not at this time. Which means we need to keep the A10 alive. If you do not think so its your opinion just like mine is to keep it. I want freedom and America to be the best. The A10 is one of those utensil’s that can do that.
@simplee,
Your tax money as mine already goes to unemployment and everything you stated. Its what happens when you work for a living but that doesn’t mean that other things can not happen with your taxes. Vote in every election that you can and you will get heard a bit. I do it and hope I will see the fruits of my many years of labor and american ways and if not I keep trying. I hope the A10 stays as do I hope that many of other things that help our country get better than it has been.
best wishes.