The US Air Force has been wanting to abandon attack aircraft for more than 10 years, as the military is betting on multifunctional platforms capable of performing various tasks.
The US Air Force wants to end its fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt II (aka Warthog) aircraft by 2028. It is reported by Breaking Defense.
For more than 10 years, the US Air Force Command has been wanting to abandon the A-10 attack aircraft, which the ground forces have fallen in love with. The reason for the desire is the weakness of the aircraft in a future war with the Russian Federation and China. However, Congress has blocked such an initiative until at least fiscal year 2023. The maximum that Congress has agreed to is the decommissioning of 21 Warthogs (Warthog). 260 aircraft continue to be in service.
“Probably the A-10 will be out of service within the next five or six years,” Air Force Chief of Staff General Brown said.
Another reason to abandon Thunderbolt II is to bet on multi-purpose capabilities in aviation. Planes need to be able to carry out different missions, which the Warthog is not capable of doing. Attack aircraft are planning to write off, and not sell to someone due to the fact that there are no interested countries. Also in the United States, the frequency of CAS close air support missions will decrease, including due to the effectiveness of modern air defense systems.
The F-35 fighter, as well as other platforms in service with the Air Force, will perform the functions of the A-10 on the battlefield.
Recall that on February 28, the head of the GUR, Kirill Budanov, said that Ukraine needs A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft and Apache helicopters for assault operations.
On July 21, the media wrote that the States could transfer the legendary A-10 attack aircraft to Ukraine.
