Defense News: US Air Force wants to decommission all A-10 attack aircraft by 2029
The US Air Force (Air Force) wants to retire all A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, which are designed to provide close air support to ground forces. Planes could be retired by 2029 writes defense news.
Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Brown told an Air and Space Forces Association symposium on Tuesday that the agency could decommission all attack aircraft within the next five to six years.
The process of writing off the first batch of 21 aircraft will begin in 2023. This will reduce the number of attack aircraft in the US Air Force arsenal from 281 to 260 aircraft. The decommissioned aircraft of the US Air National Guard squadron will be replaced by the same number of F-16 fighters.
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The Air Force needs multirole aircraft, Brown said, and the A-10’s effectiveness is limited. “A-10 is an excellent aircraft… in undeniable conditions. The problem is that in the future we will work in more difficult conditions,” he said.
The general noted that F-35 fighters and bombers would also be able to provide close air support. He suggested that in potential conflicts of the future, the Air Force would be less likely to perform such tasks.
In November 2022, the US Accountability Office announced the cost of an hour of flight for the main combat aircraft of the Air Force. The A-10 attack aircraft turned out to be the most economical aircraft, the hour of which costs 22.5 thousand dollars.
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