"Why the Air Force Can’t Seem to Retire the A-10 Warthog" Topic

"In the decades following the end of World War II, western demand for close-air-support (CAS) aircraft—that is, armored strike fighters that carry out attack missions in conjunction with friendly units—dropped precipitously. Instead, the Air Force turned its attention to long-range fighters and nuclear-capable bombers. The Soviet Union, by contrast, continued to place heavy emphasis on its ground forces, producing the Su-25 Grach "flying tank" that went on to enjoy a storied service history with the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Then came the Vietnam War. The Air Force found that its deployed fighters flew slightly too high, and too fast, to serve a meaningful CAS role over the densely forested Vietnamese terrain. The Vietnam years prompted the Army's renewed interest in attack helicopters; the Air Force, meanwhile, began to layout plans for a new CAS platform.

The A-10 Warthog emerged from a long and contentious procurement competition involving as many as six candidates; of these, only Northrop and Fairchild Republic were tapped to submit prototype models. Northrop's Ya-9 subsequently fell out of consideration, leaving just the Fairchild YA-10. Following a few subtle adjustments to the design, the Warthog entered serial production in 1976…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Courtesy of The National Interest blog

They can't retire the A-10 because the Air Force won't give up the ground support role with jets to the Army, nor will they build a purpose built ground attack jet to replace it. They all want to be the next Red Baron and fly air superiority all the time and then hang a couple bombs on the bottom and pretend their fighters can do low and slow close in dedicated long hang time ground support in a high intensity environment.
But they can't beat the A-10 in that role.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

I agree with Mike Bunkermeister,the moment a A-10 comes over head,you will see infantrymen grinning ear to ear,because they know a world of hurtin ,is about to rain down on their enemy.

Not surprising, since there is nothing even close to its effectiveness or survivability, AND apparently, nothing being developed either.

Play a little Thunderbolt/Apache Leader (which has a *lot* of other aircraft in it) and you will see why the A-10 isn't going away. Yes it's just a game (and a game in which it is the star), but the facts are there. Nothing approaches its breadth of weapons, its carrying capacity, or its durability.

I suspect it will be replace by drones someday, but it will take a lot of drones to carry that much weight into combat. It just carries a *lot* of goodies.

I agree with Bunkermeister! When I saw an A-10 come over, I would smile like an idiot and try to find someplace where I could watch the ensuing mayhem!

Sadly, in a few years it's funding will most likely be siphoned away for social programs…

Grunts love the old Hog not the sleek fighters. Long live the Hog!

Legionarius + 1

Amicalement
Armand