Sentiment, misty-eyed nostalgia and innate conservatism have
generated a storm of outrage at the US Air Force’s plan to
withdraw the A-10C Thunderbolt II from service early. But is
such outrage really justi ed?report: Jon Lake
T
O ITS SUPPORTERS and
fans, the ‘Warthog’ is the best
answer to current air power
requirements. They cite its
blend of a robust, punishment-
soaking, damage-tolerant
airframe, armored cockpit, unmatched
low-speed agility and powerful armament
as factors that make it the ideal platform for
traditional close air support, laying down
fi re to support troops on the ground.
By contrast, they aver, other fast jets are
too fast and fl y too high for their pilots to
be able to appreciate what is really going on
below them on the ground, and their 20mm
revolver cannon are inadequate against most
targets.
The members of what we might call the
‘Warthog preservation society’ reserve
particular contempt for the F-35A Joint
Strike Fighter, the aircraft that will replace
the A-10C (and other types) in US Air
Force service. The F-35A is lambasted
for its supposed fragility, its demanding
maintenance requirements, its inability to
operate from primitive semi-prepared strips,
its very high price tag, its complexity and
sophistication, and its lack of a weapon in
any way comparable to the A-10’s mighty
GAU-8/A Avenger cannon.
The fi rst time I saw an A-10A ‘at work’
was when I was travelling across the fl at,
low-lying East Yorkshire countryside on
the top deck of a double-decker bus, going
between Hull and Beverley. A pair of A-10s
hove into view, skimming over the murkySAVE THE A-10...
WHY BOTHER?
Is the US Air Force set to
nally put the brakes on
the A-10 eet? Lt Col Ryan
Haden is seen landing at the
White Sands Missile Range,
New Mexico, in December
2014 to prove remote strip
operations with the type.
USAF/A1C Ryan Callaghan34 May 2015 http://www.combataircraft.netA-10 OPINION
34-37 A-10 Opinion C.indd 34 19/03/2015 10:29