The Hog That Saves the Grunts [A-10s To Be Decommissioned?]

The New York Times ^ | May 27, 2003 | Robert Coram

[AbsoluteJustice]

Hell this jet is still airworthy and get take a hell of a POUNDING from ground fire. Why???? WHY?? If they want to decommision something how about getting rid of the USMC nemesis the CH-46. This damned this is constantly going down killing Marines during training and has far outlived its prime.

[biblewonk]

What a sad way to start the day.

[rvoitier]

Hate to see this happen if they are decommissioned.

BTW, has the A-6 Intruder been decommissioned?

[Joe Boucher]

The A-10 is not sexy and high cost enough for the fools that run the airforce.
While it is not the fastest nor the stealthiest, it is the "tank killer". And it does this job superbly.
Just a typical govt. ploy to get ever more funding for newer and bigger and faster not necessarily better.
This decision will come back to bite the military planners in the form of higher cssualty rates. Idiots.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Perhaps the Army can get a friend in the Congress to transfer all the A-10's and A-10 support equipment to the Army.

[Monty22]

I remeber reading an article, in Times or Newsweek long ago, about them wanting to kill off the A-10 back then. It was very much like this one, but the airforce at least had a replacement plan then. Now it appears they don't.

[hoosierboy]

I think the a-10 is the only aircraft that came in under budget. A savings to tax payers and these stupid beaurocrats think they know better than the soldiers in the field do.

[Servant of the Nine]

The AF had made plans to decomission the Warthog before the first Gulf War.
After the war, the Army told the AF that is they dropped the A-10s the Army would seek to take them over and operate them themselves. This caused the AF to reconsider (Wimp Out).

I expect the same thing to happen again.
When the Army begins to talk about saving money by replacing some high maintainance cost attack helicopters with low cost A-10s the AF will go Bat Shit Nuts and reconsider.

So9

[Pukin Dog]

The Air Force is still under the misguided assumption that this decision is theirs to make.

Rummy will not allow this to happen. The A-10 has survived more attempts to kill it than a houseful of cockroaches.

The best thing that the Air Force can do, is to transfer the A-10's over to the Marines, who know how to respect a great piece of hardware.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Yes, it was decommissioned after the first Gulf War. The last squadron to fly A-6's gave up their planes about 5 years ago (I think). But truthfully the F/A-18 with the JDAMS has stepped into the A-6's shoes quite well.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

BTW, has the A-6 Intruder been decommissioned?

Yes, February 1997.

[D. Brian Carter]

It is cheap, slow, low-tech, does not have an afterburner, and is so ugly that the grandiose name "Thunderbolt" was forgotten in favor of "Warthog" or, simply, "the Hog."

I guess my eyesight must be going bad. I think it looks pretty cool, and has a hell of a lot more character than many other aircraft. One of the reasons it's my favorite plane is the way it looks---and sounds---when flying by. It's a shame if this most reliable of close support aircraft is taken out of the sky, especially if it's not replaced by something as reliable and effective. I love the Warthog!

[Pukin Dog]

The A-6 is long gone. Too slow, too expensive to maintain, compared to the F-18. Same reason the NAVAIR is getting rid of my beloved Tomcat; another big mistake.

[Rebelbase]

Yes its illusionary to wish for, but the Hogs need to be transferred to an Army Air-Corp.

[elbucko]

Agreed. The A-10 is actually an advanced design for old purpose. The Air Force would be doing the country a disservice by Dx-ing the Hog.

But this sort of "Brass Blindness" isn't new. The Air Corp Generals did not want the P-51 Mustang when it first came out.

[1stFreedom]

I believe the Army should take over the A10's.

The problem for the Army is that the A10 would compete with the Comanche & Apache helecopters.

I know that both the Apache and the A10 can withstand direct hits from .23mm cannon fire. However, IMO, the A10 can take more of it than the Apache.

Notice how much trouble we had with the Apaches in Iraq. They did great but I believe they were downed more than A10s were. Granted, I don't think any Apache was *destroyed* but they were still downed and at times small arms fire gave them a real beating.

If I had a choice of flying either, I'd choose the A10. I think I'd have a better chance of coming home than in an Apache.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Man, this sucks - I love the A-10... ugly bugger, but lethal and tough as heck.... Mothballing these would be a mistake...

[WhiskeyPapa]

What? Air Force aviators don't want to be on a leash held (sometimes) by a corporal? Marine aviators are. ;-)

[Blood of Tyrants]

I think that the nake "Thunderbolt" is in honor of the WWII P-47 "Thunderbolt". It too was considered an ugly duckling but it was the primary ground attack plane in the European theather because of it's ability to deliver a tremendous amout of firepower (8-.50 cal mg's, rockets, and bombs) and bring the pilot home despite taking a sever beating.