That's also been true in the mission against ISIS. When the Cold War wound down, the Air Force argued that there was no need for a specialized plane to hunt Soviet tanks anymore.īut the A-10 has proven valuable in some conflicts since the Cold War, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Air Force people, generally speaking, don't like the idea of some sergeant, lieutenant, or captain in the Army essentially directing their million dollar planes around, and that's what close air support requires," Farley said. According to Farley, the Air Force never really liked taking on the CAS mission. So from the very beginning, the A-10 was a product of infighting between service branches - a conflict which continues to define the plane.Īround the end of the Cold War, the Air Force began arguing for retiring the A-10, even though it's their own plane. ![]() Part of the motivation was to prevent the Army from taking over CAS duties entirely with its own helicopters, according to Robert Farley, a University of Kentucky professor and author of a book on the Air Force. The Air Force originally created the A-10 in the early 1970s. The A-10's slow speed and heavy armament are ideal for this: it can hang around the battlefield targeting enemy positions for a relatively long time. In CAS, planes and helicopters target enemy positions that are nearby American or other friendly ground forces. ![]() The A-10 is not like the high-flying fighter jets you usually think of when you think "Air Force." It's armored, slow, totally unstealthy, and very low-flying.Īll of this makes it perfect for something called " Close Air Support" (CAS). The A-10 is designed to support the Army - and that's the problemĪn A-10 in Afghanistan. ![]() Why does the Air Force want to get rid of a plane that seems so useful? The answer gets to the heart of a pretty important debate about the future of the Air Force, as well as the screwed up way the US military decides what weapons to purchase. The USAF is fighting with Congress to get approval for a plan to retire the aircraft from service - for good. Boasting a massive ordinance load and one of the most powerful guns ever mounted on an aircraft, it's playing a major role in the US Air Force's bombing campaign against ISIS.ĭespite its successes in combat, the Air Force wants to put the plane out of commission. The A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly called the Warthog, is a powerhouse of a plane.
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