For some reason, the United States Air Force is doing its damndest to kill the A-10 Thunderbolt II, more affectionately known as the Warthog or the infantryman’s guardian angel. Seriously, even Congress recognizes the error of this move. The USAF’s problem, though, isn’t Congress – it’s the data.
The crux of the Air Force’s position is that the A-10, which entered service in 1976, isn’t effective enough to warrant the $3.5 billion it could save over the next five years by retiring it. As Army Maj. Benjamin Fernandes explains it, though, that argument only tells a very small part of the story.
Maj. Fernandes has put together a must-read piece over at Defense One that delivers a lengthy and in-depth analysis on the what’s wrong with the Air Force’s position, while also providing the kind of perspective that can only be delivered by one of the A-10’s biggest fans – an infantryman.