“Even though we will lose CAS capacity, we are retiring the A-10 anyway” U.S. Air Force says

[unhappycamper]

http://theaviationist.com/2016/03/24/us-air-force-retiring-a10-anyway/



The U.S. Air Force has revealed that the A-10 retirement will begin in fiscal year 2018.

“Even though we will lose CAS capacity, we are retiring the A-10 anyway” U.S. Air Force says
Mar 24 2016
By Dario Leone

~snip~

Still, this kind of training will come to an end in the near future. In fact, in spite of its unmatched capabilities in the CAS role, the U.S. Air Force will soon retire its A-10 fleet.

As reported by DefenseNews.com, the service has recently revealed the number of A-10s that will be retired each year before the type is completely withdrawn from service in 2022.

The plan call for the retirement of 49 planes or 2 squadrons in fiscal year (FY) 2018. This will be followed by 49 aircraft in FY2019, 64 in FY2020, and 96 in FY2021.

During a hearing held at the House Armed Services Committee on Mar. 16 Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said that accelerating the retirement of the A-10 will help to better support the stand up of F-35 squadrons. “If we keep the A-10, by FY21 — the scheduled FOC (Final Operational Capability) date for the F-35 — we will be about 50 percent short of the maintenance manpower we need to field the F-35. So it’s a manpower problem.”

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One reason there's "manpower problem" is F-35s require a ground crew of around twenty.

[revbones]

1. Ugh. The A-10 Warthog is beloved by ground troops

It's 1/6th the cost of a F-35, can carry 13 tons of weaponry and any ground troops pinned down are instantly relieved when they hear the percussive impacts of its Gatling guns spitting out 4,200 rounds a min.

The F35 is primarily a stealth aircraft and despite supposedly being the be-all-end-all platform, it is not well suited for close-air-support.

This is not good. I've actually be happy that congress kept renewing the A-10's funding.

[longship]

2. Wonder Warthog!

A near perfect platform for its mission, certainly one of the best airplanes anybody would want for warfare.

Why get rid of one of the best weapons ever for a specific mission and replace it with one which has demonstrated its inability. Then, there's the cost. How much does an A-10 cost? And an F-35?

[awoke_in_2003]

3. There is the rub...

The A-10 is a cheap plane. With it out of the inventory, the Air Force will have to start planning for its replacement, whether they admit it now or not. Have no fear- its replacement will be terribly expensive