The Air Force has long had the A-10 in its sights. Actual war has interrupted their plans to kill the plane. The Air Force will take another slash at the unglamorous but useful plane because it would rather defend F-35 acquisition:
That’s also the conclusion reached by a recent review ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, which suggested retiring 120 Warthogs of a total fleet of 343, on top of two squadrons of A-10s that have already been shuttered over the past year.
Thank you, Secretary Hagel. I'd expect no less from the man.
Could we at least send these planes to the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard rather than retire them?
The post criticizes the relatively enclosed F-35 cockpit, but I should at least note in defense of the military that the F-35 flies with multiple cameras pointing in all directions to give the pilot situational awareness about aerial threats all around. I do have some concerns about the idea that the F-35 doesn't need to maneuver because of this system and the ability to fire missiles even against targets behind the plane.
