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Pentagon wants to show F-35's improved capability
"If you asked an A-10 to do air-to-air, it's hopeless," Pentagon official says
CNN
—
Can an old war horse that dates back more than 40 years hold its own against the newest warbird loaded with the latest in technology and weaponry?
The Pentagon said it aims to find out and will pit the venerable A-10 Warthog against the F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter in a series of rigorous tests replicating what the planes would face in battle.
“We are going to do a comparative test of the ability of the F-35 to perform close air support, combat search-and-rescue missions and related missions with the A-10,” Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation, told a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing on Tuesday.
The F-35 has been designated to replace the A-10 in the Air Force’s main ground-attack role by 2022, but the plan has been met with skepticism by critics who say the $163 million F-35 can’t do the job as well as the $18 million A-10.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Master Sgt. Greg Steele/U.S. Air Force
B-52 Stratofortress —
The first versions of this long-range heavy bomber flew in 1954. A total of 744 were built, the last of those in 1962. The Air Force maintains 58 B-52s in the active force and 18 in the Reserve. A single B-52 can carry 70,000 pounds of mixed munitions, including bombs, missiles and mines. The eight-engine jets have a range of 8,800 miles.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Nicole Sikorski
C-130 Hercules transport —
A C-130J Super Hercules from the 37th Airlift Squadron flies over Normandy, France, June 3, 2015. First delivered to the Air Force in 1956, the C-130 remains one of the service's most important airlift platforms. More than 140 are still in active units, with more than 180 in the National Guard and a hundred more in the Reserve. The C-130 is powered by four turboprop engines.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force
AC-130 gunships —
The AC-130H Spectre and the AC-130U Spooky gunships are designed for close air support, air interdiction and force protection. Armaments on the Spectre include 40mm and 105mm cannons. The Spooky adds a 25mm Gatling gun.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Justin Connaher/U.S. Air Force
F-22 Raptor —
The twin-engine F-22 stealth fighter, flown by a single pilot and armed with a 20mm cannon, heat-seeking missiles, radar-guided missiles and radar-guided bombs, can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The service has 183 of the Raptors, which went operational in 2005.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Elijah Chevalier
The single-engine F-35A is the Air Force's eventual replacement for the F-16 and the A-10. The supersonic jets, which will be able to conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks, are just beginning to enter the Air Force fleet. Here, an F-35 Lightning II from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, flys at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, April 15, 2017.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/USAF
B-2 Spirit bomber —
The four-engine B-2 heavy bomber has stealth properties that make it hard to detect on radar. Flown by a crew of two, it has an unrefueled range of 6,000 miles and can deliver both conventional and nuclear bombs. Twenty B-2s are in the active inventory. They joined the fleet in 1997.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Airman 1st Class James L. Miller/USAF
B-1B Lancer bomber —
The four-engine jet can fly at 900 mph and carry the largest payload of bombs and missiles in the Air Force inventory. The Air Force has 62 B-1Bs in the fleet.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Airman 1st Class Chad Warren/USAF
F-15 Eagle —
The F-15 Eagle, the Air Force's main air superiority fighter, became operational in 1975. With a crew of one or two, depending on the model, the twin-engine jets are armed with a 20mm cannon along with Sidewinder or AMRAAM missiles. The Air Force lists 249 F-15 Eagles in its inventory.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force/FILE
F-15E Strike Eagle —
The Strike Eagle is a version of the air superiority fighter adapted to perform ground-strike missions. With a crew of two, the twin-jet can carry and deploy most weapons in the Air Force inventory and operate in any weather. The F-15E was first delivered in 1988. The Air Force lists 219 in its fleet.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force/FIle
A-10 Thunderbolt —
The A-10 Thunderbolt jets, nicknamed "Warthogs," are specially designed for close air support of ground forces. Key to their armaments is a 30mm Gatling gun. The pilot is protected from ground fire by titanium armor, and the plane's fuel cells are self-sealing in case of puncture.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force
RC-135U —
The RC-135U Combat Sent, based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, provides strategic electronic reconnaissance information to the president, secretary of defense, Department of Defense leaders and theater commanders.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Airman 1st Class Jeffrey Schultz/USAF
An F-15 Eagle takes off from the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, flight line as two E-3 Sentries are seen in the background.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
USAF/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
OV-10 Bronco —
A 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron OV-10 Bronco aircraft fires white phosphorus rockets to mark a target for an air strike during tactical air control training.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Airman 1st Class Dillian Bamman/USAF
A-29 Super Tucano —
An A-29 Super Tucano taxis on the flightline during its first arrival, Sept. 26, 2014, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Afghan Air Force pilots trained on the planes that will be used in air-to-ground attack missions in Afghanistan.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Master Sgt. Keith Reed/USAF
KC-135 Stratotanker —
The four-engine KC-135 joined the Air Force fleet in 1956 as both a tanker and cargo jet. It can carry up to 200,000 pounds of fuel and 83,000 pounds of cargo and passengers in a deck above the refueling system. More than 400 of the KC-135s are flown by active, Air Guard and Reserve units.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/U.S. Air Force/File
F-16 Fighting Falcon —
The single-engine jet is a mainstay of the Air Force combat fleet. It can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with its 20mm cannon and ability to carry missiles and bombs on external pods. More than 1,000 F-16s are in the Air Force inventory.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
SSgt Sean M. Worrell/USAF
C-17 Globemaster transport —
The four-engine jet joined the Air Force fleet in 1993 with a primary mission of troop and cargo transport. Each plane can carry up to 102 troops or 170,900 pounds of cargo. The Air Force has 187 C-17s on active duty, 12 in the Air National Guard and 14 in the Reserve.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Jason Minto/US AIR FORCE
C-5 Galaxy transport —
The C-5, with a wingspan of 222 feet, a length of 247 feet and a height of 65 feet, is the largest plane in the Air Force inventory and one of the largest aircraft in the world. The first versions of the four-engine jet joined the force in 1970. The Air Force expects to have 52 versions of the latest model, the C-5M, in the fleet by 2017.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Markus Maier
CV-22 Osprey —
The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines vertical takeoff, hover and landing qualities of a helicopter with the normal flight characteristics of a turboprop aircraft, according to the Air Force. It is used to move troops in and out of operations as well as resupply units in the field. The Air Force has 33 Ospreys in inventory.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
US Air Force
E-3 Sentry AWACS —
AWACS stands for airborne warning and control system. This four-engine jet, based on a Boeing 707 platform, monitors and manages battle space with its huge rotating radar dome. The planes have a flight crew of four supporting 13 to 19 specialists and controllers giving direction to units around the battle space. The Air Force has 32 E-3s in inventory.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Brian Dyjak/USAF
KC-10 Extender —
Based on the DC-10 passenger jet, the triple-engine KC-10 is a gas station in the sky with the ability to carry 75 people and 170,000 pounds of cargo. In its six tanks, the KC-10 can carry up to 356,000 pounds of fuel and dispense it while airborne. The Air Force has 59 KC-10s on active duty.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
Master Sgt. Lance Cheung/USAF
T-38 Talon —
The twin-engine jet trainer, used by the Air Force to prepare pilots for the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt and F-22 Raptor, first flew in 1959. Almost 550 are in the active force.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
USAF/Getty Images
U-2 —
The single-engine, single-pilot U-2 is used for high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance. Flying at altitudes around 70,000 feet, pilots must wear pressure suits like those worn by astronauts. The first U-2 was flown in 1955. The planes were used on missions over the Soviet Union during the Cold War, flying too high to be reached by any adversary. The Air Force has 33 U-2s in its active inventory.
Photos: In the U.S. Air Force fleet
U.S. Air Force/Josh Plueger
WC-135 Constant Phoenix —
The four-engine WC-135 is used to fly through airspace to detect the residue of nuclear blasts. "The aircraft is equipped with external flow-through devices to collect particulates on filter paper and a compressor system for whole air samples collected in holding spheres," the Air Force says. It has two of these jets in the active force.
“If you’re spending a lot of money to get improved capability, that’s the easiest way to demonstrate it,” Gilmore said of the planned test.
The A-10 is the only plane in the Air Force specifically designed for close air support, a mission that has become urgent in the fight against ISIS in the Mideast.
Able to circle over a target for long periods, the straight-winged A-10 is supremely maneuverable at low speeds and altitudes. When ground troops find themselves in trouble – and too close to the enemy for fighter jets to drop bombs without risking friendly-fire casualties – A-10 pilots can skim hillsides day and night, under any type of weather, and engage ground targets with its 30 mm, seven-barrel Gatling gun, which fires depleted uranium bullets at 3,900 rounds per minute.
The F-35 is designed to fulfill a variety of roles, close air support among them, so it won’t function exactly in the same manner as the A-10, Pentagon officials said.
“The F-35 will not do close air support mission the same way the A-10 does. It will do it very differently. The A-10 was designed to be low, and slow, and close to the targets it was engaging, relatively speaking,” Frank Kendall III, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the Senate panel Tuesday. “We will not use the F-35 in the same way as the A-10..”
“We’re going to let the F-35 pilots take advantage of the systems on that aircraft … and see how well the missions are carried out in terms of the ability to strike targets in a timely manner and accurately, and then report on that,” Gilmore said.
Different or not, the Pentagon expects the F-35 to come out the winner in the face-off because it can handle different roles.
“Clearly the F-35 should have an advantage in higher threat environments than the A-10 does,” Gilmore said at Tuesday’s hearing.
“If you asked an A-10 to do air-to-air, it’s hopeless,” Kendall said. The F-35 is designed to “do a variety of missions: air dominance, strike and close air support.”
And the Pentagon said, close air support has changed since the A-10 came on line in 1975.
“What’s different now than when the time the A-10 was conceived is the use of precision munitions and the ability of a wide variety of aircraft to put a munition-like, small-diameter bomb exactly where they want it to go,” said Kendall, who pointed out that such munitions let platforms like the B-1 bomber provide close air support.
Even if the F-35 wins the upcoming showdown with the A-10, it may not mean it won’t face another challenger in the future.
Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, said earlier this month the service would consider other alternatives to the A-10.
“My requirements guys are in the process of building a draft-requirements document for a follow-on (close air-support) airplane,” Holmes said.
