Air Force officials have vowed that there were no plans to retire the entire A-10 fleet
The Air Force has paid for new wings for 173 aircraft, but doesn't have funding for another 110
WashingtonCNN
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The US Air Force is telling Congress to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to upgrading the venerable A-10 Warthog fleet.
As the service rolled out its budget this year, Air Force officials vowed there were no plans to retire the entire A-10 fleet – despite previous attempts – but that doesn’t mean all of the planes in the fleet are safe.
The Air Force has warned Congress that more than a third of the 283 A-10 attack aircraft fleet may have to be permanently grounded unless Congress increases the Air Force’s budget to restart the production line that makes new wings for the planes.
The Air Force has paid for new wings needed to extend the life of 173 A-10 aircraft, but does not have the funding for the other 110 in the fleet, and about 40 would have to be grounded by 2021 unless additional funds are allocated, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek.
The Air Force didn’t include money for the extra wings in its latest budget request. But it did drop in a $103 million request on its so-called “wish list” for A-10 wings.
The wish lists, known officially as unfunded requirements, are provided to Congress to request money for programs that didn’t get funded in the military’s budget request.
Boeing, which made the new wings for the A-10, has since shut down their plant line. The Air Force’s $103 million request, along with $20 million provided in the current fiscal year, would pay for opening a new line and the production of four new wings, an Air Force official told CNN.
Defense budget experts say the move to include the plane’s wings on its unfunded requirements list resembles a tactic often employed by the military to push Congress to add in funding for politically popular programs, giving the services more room to maneuver within the budget request.
“It’s a classic budgetary tactic to not include funding for something you know Congress is going to make you fund,” said Todd Harrison, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“It effectively puts the onus on Congress to find an offset rather than the Air Force. The Air Force is hoping that Congress will pay for this by giving the Air Force additional funds and cutting something elsewhere in the budget, but there is no guarantee of that. If it was truly a high priority, it would have made it into the regular budget request,” Harrison said.
For years, the Navy included F/A-18 fighter jets on its unfunded requirements list but not the budget, which Congress then added into the final appropriations bill.
The issue of the A-10 wing funding came to a head last week during congressional testimony.
Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, an Air Force acquisition official, testified to Congress that the Air Force was committed to maintaining six of its nine A-10 squadrons flying through 2030.
“Additional A-10 force structure is contingent on future budget levels and force structure requirements,” Bunch wrote in his written testimony.
Rep. Martha McSally, a former A-10 pilot who has been one of the most vocal defenders of the aircraft in Congress, pressed the Air Force to explain why it was considering dropping to just six squadrons.
“It’s the first time you’ve publicly said that you’re going to go down to six squadrons,” McSally said. “I’d really like to know what those planning assumptions are of the six squadrons.”
Her questions, however, were only submitted for the record, since the hearing was ended due to House votes.
Lawmakers have wrestled with how to replace the A-10 for years – a tall task due to the aircraft’s continued effectiveness despite making its first flight in 1975.
The Air Force had originally planned for its version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to replace the A-10.
But unlike the multi-role F-35, the A-10 is the only airplane in the Air Force specifically designed for close-air support, a function that has become urgent in the fight against ISIS, according to Air Force officials.
The A-10 is able to target enemy forces up close without risking friendly fire casualties because the pilots are flying slow enough to visually distinguish between enemy and friendly forces.
Last year, then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said there were plans to defer the A-10’s retirement until 2022, at which point it would be replaced by the F-35.
But while the first wave of F-35s are currently being deployed for combat, the program’s history of delays and cost overruns has caused the Pentagon to consider extending the operational life of the A-10 to meet the demands of the counter-ISIS mission.
Air Force officials are also downplaying the idea that the retirement of several A-10 squadrons is imminent pointing out that the service is still evaluating options for funding additional wings.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Congressional aides predict the money is likely to be included in the defense authorization and appropriations bills, as the A-10 has been a stalwart among lawmakers and has played a key role in the ISIS fight.
Though with the topline of the Pentagon’s budget still a very uncertain, nothing is a sure bet.