The jet’s slow speed and excellent low-altitude maneuverability were famously used to provide troop cover during Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s, as well as the more recent Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. However, that low speed which was previously an asset has now become a liability. Manufactured between 1976 and 1984, Air Force officials stated that the Warthog is too outdated and too singularly focused to survive conflicts with modern air defenses such as those possessed by China.
The request to phase out the A-10 Warthog is not a new one. Previous attempts to retire the A-10 were continually rejected by Congress under the guise that no other aircraft is capable of protecting ground troops as effectively. But nowadays, the U.S. no longer employs large groups of ground troops, favoring newer technology like hypersonic missiles and warplanes instead. Fittingly, the fiscal 2023 budget finally approved replacing 21 of the jets.
The first 21 jets to be phased out will all come from the Air National Guard squadron in Indiana, to be replaced by an equal number of F-16 fighter jets. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown commented that “the Air Force hopes to continue that momentum” with all A-10 Warthogs retired by the year 2029.
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