Air Force to Retire A-10's in FY26

[AWP]

B-52's did CAS at Khe Son...sort of.

I worked with a JTAC who said his proudest moment was when they were retaking Mosul from ISIS and he Winchestered a B-52 full of JDAMs.
"Dude, we collapsed a 10-story building!"

 

[Gunz]

Go big or go home.



If the resource is there, why not pull the chain. That's what comm is there for. I had no qualms calling up fixed-wing CAS to quiet down the AO if we kept getting shot at. Even if it were 3 or 4 well-hidden individuals.

 

[DA SWO]

The advantage the A-10 has over all other fighter/attack aircraft isn't the 30MM cannon, it's the 1100+ rounds of ammo; gun run after gun run after gun run. F-35 will give one, maybe two strafe runs.

 

[Gunz]

The advantage the A-10 has over all other fighter/attack aircraft isn't the 30MM cannon, it's the 1100+ rounds of ammo; gun run after gun run after gun run. F-35 will give one, maybe two strafe runs.

Plus tough airframe, redundant systems, armored cockpit etc...

 

[Kraut783]

...long loiter time...

 

[TLDR20]

The advantage the A-10 has over all other fighter/attack aircraft isn't the 30MM cannon, it's the 1100+ rounds of ammo; gun run after gun run after gun run. F-35 will give one, maybe two strafe runs.

I’d rather have a bomb.

...long loiter time...

It is the same as an A-10 on an F-35. Around 90 mins. The F-35 has an enormous fuel capacity in all models except the B. The C has 9000 lbs more than an a-10.

In a future “neer peer” environment the A 10 is not a sustainable airframe. It cannot rapidly traverse great distances, would die immediately in a SAM environment, and it brings no other capability to the fight.

I love the A-10, but it isn’t going to be gun running advancing Chinese troops on Taiwans beaches. It simply would not get there, or survive in that environment.

 

[Gunz]

I’d rather have a bomb.

Always. And Willy Pete is one of my faves.

 

[DA SWO]

I’d rather have a bomb.

That's the argument the AF used as justification.

 

[Kraut783]

I’d rather have a bomb.


It is the same as an A-10 on an F-35. Around 90 mins. The F-35 has an enormous fuel capacity in all models except the B. The C has 9000 lbs more than an a-10.

In a future “neer peer” environment the A 10 is not a sustainable airframe. It cannot rapidly traverse great distances, would die immediately in a SAM environment, and it brings no other capability to the fight.

I love the A-10, but it isn’t going to be gun running advancing Chinese troops on Taiwans beaches. It simply would not get there, or survive in that environment.

True, the A-10 was perfect for the GWOT...not great against current country threats....it's time has come.

 

[DA SWO]

True, the A-10 was perfect for the GWOT...not great against current country threats....it's time has come.

A-10 could be useful in the CentCom AO, but budget and manning limits are forcing us to let it go.
FWIW the A-10 can fire the laser guided rockets that are being used as a counter drone asset.

 

[Totentanz]

A-10 could be useful in the CentCom AO, but budget and manning limits are forcing us to let it go.
FWIW the A-10 can fire the laser guided rockets that are being used as a counter drone asset.

That's one (possibly overlooked, possibly not) role where I think the OA-1K could excel, as the airspeed would be much closer to that of UAS systems and the closing speed relatively slow.