Goodbye dear friend...

Yeah, nothing like seeing an A-10 pull out from behind an Oak tree at Camp Roberts or Camp Hunter-Liggett during training to give you the willies. To see fixed wing aircraft operating at altitudes you usually see rotary aircraft at, is awe inspiring. I was pleased I never had to face one in real life circumstances.
 
Another boneheaded decision if they do in fact retire them. The USAF has repeatedly tried to kill the A-10, however it keeps proving how valuable an asset it is time and time again. We have no other airframe that can do what the A-10 does, and do it as well. The F-35 will never be able to fill the A-10's shoes in the CAS role. We'll see if the USAF really does go through with killing the A-10 this time. Will definitely be a sad day if they do. It's helped out a lot of Marines and GIs when they needed it most.
 
WHY does the Air Force insist on wanting to retire such a brilliant successful aircraft as the Warthog?
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Like all children, they want to play with their new toys.
Maintenance costs on the older aircraft, probably play a secondary role.

True early (prototype) production story about the A-10. Some of the advanced avionics (black boxes) VDIGs and the HUD, were made by Kaiser Aerospace & Electronics (I was working there when this happened) and upon delivery, it was found that one of the units didn't fit. Turns out there was some Top Secret equipment in the cockpit, that was left out of the blueprints, and no one ever advised Kaiser A & E. We had to really scramble to regig the units to fit, in order to try and keep up with the production schedule.
 
mTk said:
I doubt if the USAF would decide to retire the A-10 on a whim since it has been such a successful platform for so many years.
Really, what's the reason(s)? Anybody?
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Especially since there doesn't seem to be a viable replacement to take over that mission profile?

...especially since they managed to keep antiques like the B-52 successfully operating for a LOT longer.
 
Apparently it is too low tech... The airforce in particular is very into hightech solutions. Like the fighters with only guided missiles and the disaster the F35 is turning out to be.

Stealth isn't as stealthy as it once was but it limits the design of an airplane massively.
 
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Excerpt below, follow the money as usual;

Of course, the most damning factor against the A-10 in the eyes of the generals is the fact that it is old, ugly and cheap-especially cheap. The Air Force generals are infatuated with big ticket items, new technology and sleek new machines. The fastest way to a promotion inside the Air Force is to hitch your name to a rising new weapons system, the more expensive the better. When it comes time to retire, the generals who’ve spent their careers pumping new weapons systems are assured of landing lucrative new careers with defense contractors


http://www.counterpunch.org/2003/06/09/why-the-air-force-generals-want-to-kill-the-a-10/
 
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