Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Air Force's plans to mothball the A-10 aircraft would hurt combat capabilities, a report from the Government Accountability Office said Wednesday.
The A-10, known as the "Warthog," is the principal plane flown at Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, with squadrons there totaling about 80 of the aircraft known for its close air support capabilities.
“All three A-10 divestment proposals would contribute to a decline in Air Force fighter capacity, when compared to the Air Force's fiscal 2014 budget plans, which called for the Air Force to maintain its A-10s through 2035," the report said.
U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, a Tucson Republican who is a former A-10 pilot, released the report and called it affirmation of her efforts to keep the A-10 flying.
The Air Force has been pushing for the retirement of its A-10 fleet, saying it needs to do so for budget reasons, and plans to replace it with the F-35.
McSally and others in Congress have pushed back, including language in defense-spending bills keeping the plane active.
“The Air Force has not comprehensively assessed potential mission capability gaps caused by A-10 divestment or the effects of divestment on its ability to support joint terminal attack controller training,” the report said.
McSally has said the plane is the best weapon the U.S. has in ongoing wars in the Middle East because of its ability to support ground troops with close-in flying and weapons firing.
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