Supporters of the A-10 are hailing the news that the United States Air Force plans to delay the premature retirement of the A-10 in its budget request for fiscal year 2017. Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, hinted at Wednesday’s news in November.
Back then Carlisle said, “I think moving it to the right and starting it a bit later and maybe keeping the airplane around a little bit longer is something that’s being considered based on things as they are today and that we see them in the future.”
Today the F-35 program is failing, and its future looks grim. Those failures are brought into sharp focus by A-10 supporters every time it is on the chopping block. That attention has been devastating to the USAF.
For years now, the USAF has pushed the narrative that the aging A-10 would have to be mothballed to make room for the multi-purpose F-35. Over that time, A-10 supporters combated the false choice with relentless attacks on the all-too-vulnerable F-35. Taking the heat off the A-10 may take some of the heat off of the F-35.
Arizona Senator John McCain issued a statement on Wednesday praising the news. McCain stated that the “A-10 fleet is playing an indispensable role in the fight against ISIL in Iraq and assisting NATO’s efforts to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. With growing global chaos and turmoil on the rise, we simply cannot afford to prematurely retire the best close air support weapon in our arsenal without fielding a proper replacement. I’m particularly proud of the important contributions our A-10 pilots from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson continue to make to our national security. When the Obama Administration submits its 2017 budget request in the coming weeks, I hope it will follow through on its plan to keep the A-10 flying so that it can continue to protect American troops, many still serving in harm’s way.”
Congresswoman Martha McSally issued a statement echoing McCain’s, “It appears the Administration is finally coming to its senses and recognizing the importance of A-10s to our troops’ lives and national security. Since before I took office and after, I’ve consistently highlighted the A-10’s irreplaceable capabilities and worked to expose the Administration’s flawed argument for wanting to retire it prematurely. But our fight does not end here. The Administration has been persistent in its efforts to send our best close air support asset to the boneyard without a replacement. That’s unacceptable, and I’ll continue to lead the fight to ensure we keep these planes flying until we know without a doubt we can replace their capabilities.”
While supporters of the A-10 will likely ease up on F-35, the USAF will continue to pump out pro-F-35 propaganda in an effort to save the most expensive military weapons system in history.