This Is Why the U.S. Air Force to Retire the A-10 Warthog 

History will include the A-10 in the top 10 All time Greatest Military Aircraft.

It's TOTALLY crazy to retire the A-10!!!!!

I understand that the current A-10s are old and costly to maintain; but, why not make new A-10s instead of forcing a function of the F-35 that it was never intended to perform nor is it designed for perform. The new A-10 would include new airframes, new electronics/ avionics/defensive systems, etc, but would look and perform like the current ones.

The F35 will never be able to do all the things the A10 can do or take the beeting the A10 can take.

Air Force is making a dumb move!!!

Thats the Biggest Mistake the USAF has ever made in the past years.

Stupid move that will cost lives and loss of the F-35, a much more expensive airctaft!

The US Air Force has always hated doing close air support. The A10 was made with the Air Force Generals kicking and screaming that it should not be built. And they have tried to shut it down at every opportunity even trying to cut the budget for ammunition. In Iraq the Air Force tried not to deploy the A10 when Iraq had 5000 soviet tanks. General Schwarzkopf said to the Air Force, "Where are my A10's?" The A10 cleaned house and destroyed more tanks than all other planes combined and even some missile silos. The air force conducted a misinformation campaign to prevent the public from knowing about A10 amazing contribution in Iraq. Instead they emphasized the stealth aircraft bombing but ignored the A10. The Air Force generals excuse to retire the A10 is that it is old. The Air Force should have already started developing the next gen A10 by the mid '80s. That is their fault. Their behavior is reprehensible. They forget that they are part of the US Armed forces as a whole and if they weren't adults they should be lined up and spanked. At least a reprimand from Congress and the President of the USA is in order. I think the A10 should be literally ripped out of the hands of the Air Force A10 haters and put in the loving arms of the US Army along with all money that would normally be budgeted for the A10 program. Yes all necessary money should follow it. Clearly a next gen A10 is in order and be in the hands of the Army. Then the Air Force can stick to their air to air combat and bombing that they so love to do and the Army can have their close air support needs properly met. There needs to be a price paid for this kind of short sightedness and selfishness. This is ridiculous behavior.

Stupid ideas to retire the A-10!

I don't get why they feel they have to retire these very needed and useful aircraft. It appears to me that the higher ups in the air force that want just fast-moving Jets to do all of the killing and destruction from the air are the reason for taking these offline. They could be very useful in Ukraine and I do believe they were going to be using them there anyway but they still have a lot of use in them for possible upcoming Wars. The Big Brass in the Air Force has been after cutting these aircraft for years in spite of politicians in Washington that believe they are very useful and the squadrons that fly them believe they are too.

Give the A-10 to the Army. Let them decide.

A-10s are like that annoying creepy uncle that shows up at family picnics and just bullsh*ts about everything left and right, but the little kids love him because he shows them his cool-looking gun.

I really don’t get it, first it was the Harrier which should never been retired and now, your talking about retiring the best ground attack machine in existence. I understand that technology changes but these are not fighter planes although the Harrier could more than hold its own as a fighter but, these are two fantastic ground support aircraft that you could wish for. Tell me what other country could boast that.

The Air Force has been trying to divest Close Air Support for years, it has always said its airplanes and pilots are too valuable to be "down in the weeds". The shame of it is most of the A-10 pilots I knew of, loved and were proud of their mission in the A-10. Fat Amy will never get 'down in the weeds', and, like the F-16, if it did, all it would take is a little ground fire to bring it down. "China is not scared of the A-10" says the Secretary Kendall, they are not scared of Fat Amy in a close support role either since they know it can't do that mission. They probably already have plans from all the data we've sent around the world trying to sell it.

The A-10 can be a truck to carry missiles the F-35 can’t and can be set up for remote piloting. If the plane does get shot down, we have plenty more in the boneyard . My job in the 70’s and first half of the 80’s was computer work and planes landing at DM flew over our building and I was able to see them land . I saw U-2s and the first A-10s. Their landing speed was so low, they looked like they were in slow motion ! So pull some A-10s from the boneyard , rehab them and set them up for remote piloting . It’s the Griswold family truckster of planes and can carry an immense amount of weapons.

One of the results of being the Big Dog is that the great majority of our combat is asymmetrical. If we tangle with a near peer force, we will need cutting edge machines. If we are going to continue to engage in mud fighting we need Warthogs and Apaches.

Maybe the A-10 doesn't scare the PLA anymore but it would certainly frighten Russian infantrymen in Ukraine.

It is crazy the A10 is still a needed in the Ukraine.

The Air Force says the A10 Warthog is too vulnerable. Just exactly how many Warhogs have been shot down? I can't think of a single one in 3 Wars!

Air Force Brass: It doesn't SCARE China US Soldier: Because China hasn't found itself in the crosshair of the A-10...yet, but it will.

It should NEVER BE RETIRED , FORMER Ground pounder

Then give the A-10 to the Army, if the Air Force wants out of CAS.

This is like scrapping the statue of Liberty boooo

This aircraft is inexpensive to build, inexpensive to operate and inexpensive to maintain, It's ability to provide ground troops in contact with accurate close air support is not matched. Just ask the pilots of the A 10 and ask the men who are the boots on the ground how effective. it is. It is hard to believe the top command wants to quit this low cost, low maintenance jet that works PERFECTLY to support our ground troops & get rid of it & replace with the F 35. The F 35 is expensive to build, expensive to operate, & requires a ton more of maintenance. Nothing about this makes any sense.

We don't want the Air Force to retire the A-10.

Retiring the A-10 is happening because it’s an easy target. The brass in the pentagon doesn’t like them, but ask any infantryman, they’ll tell you differently. The real reason we are ‘divesting’ the A-10 is that the maintenance requirements for the F-35 are so enormous that the Air Force will be effectively driven out of business by these costs. The Air Force has had enormous success with the A-10 during the gulf war, in Iraq and in Afghanistan, but that said, the Air Force doesn’t like low & slow CAS missions. Without the A-10 they will certainly be ineffective in ground support moving forward as the gun on the F-35 only holds 182 rounds vs. 1174 rounds for the A-10. The F-35 is fancy & stealth but it can’t do close air support unless we’ll be expending JDAMs, two at a time, on enemy infantry. I hear the Army is interested!

If you're an enemy tank commander, which would you rather have coming at you, an F-35 or an A-10? I think the F-35. Don't retire the A-10. Nuff said?

Since the AF is now DEI, this just falls in line with other bungles that will make the enemy laugh at us.

USAF Does not want them yet they don't want anyone else to have them Ie the US Army or NATO!

When I flew Apaches for the Army, there was talk of the AF giving the A10 to the Army. Their outstanding success in the desert halted that talk but the AF has always wanted to get out of the CAS business. It's just too bourgeois for them. However, hundreds of ground pounders came home because of the A10

The air force will not retire the a-10 because the army wants it

Someday a lot of Grunts are going to pay the price for this mistake. I just hope my son isn't one of them.

As an old Gropo (Ground Pounder), I think that USAF is stupid. The A-10 belongs to the Army Air Corp. as it's may mission is the support of Gorpo's. Since the F-35 failed as ground support the A-10 has been maintained by the thoughtless USAF. Maybe a redesign is in order, after all, look at what happened to the Ford Mustang.

Why not give these to Ukraine?

Sell out U.S. Air Force generals retired to work for F-35 contractors. Ground support is secondary to need for speed.

The DoD needs a hard hitting close air support aircraft!

If it works, break it or replace it, Taxpayer money must be spent! Your Congress in action!

I remember when the A16 was supposed to replace the A10. That didn't age well. The AF is just too addicted to tech/spending money.

Defense contracts money 🤷🏻‍♂️..... sad that such a legend is just sitting there

Damn that will be awesome to Ukraine air force,, Talkin about highway to HELL BABY!!!!

CAS needs slow, loitering airframes. What does the AF have to offer instead of the warthog?

We cannot allow the Air Force to retire the A-10. No.

Use at home

They have been trying for decades to retire the A-10, even when it was new because it's ugly and was build primarily to protect the Army. "It doesn't have a pointy nose and after burners so it's obviously crap." I don't give a shit how good the F-35 looks on paper, it's too fast, too fragile and too expensive to fill the role of the A-10. If Congress weren't being controlled by Communist Democrats who are ANTI-AMERICAN, they'd give the A-10 to the Army and contract for some more of them to be built. Yes, this is coming from a retired Air Force MSgt.

$$$ That's what it's all about. The military industrial congressional complex wants a new fix.

soooooo can I buy one? (rip to the a10 though its my favorite usaf aircraft)

Give these their swan song in Ukraine.

F35000's couldn't replace what the A-10 does. Any fool knows that.

The A10 was a good aircraft for the environments we saw in the Middle East. Where there was no air defense and total air supremacy. It could get in close and put its big gun to use. However things are changing. In the projected near-peer conflict against China, the A10 would be practically useless. As for the priority in such a conflict would be attaining and maintaining air superiority. A job the A10 isn’t meant to do. The Air Force is dropping them because the days of getting in close to do gun runs seem to be coming to a close. The air is becoming ever more dangerous for aircraft of all types and survivable aircraft will be needed for future conflicts. The A10 simply wouldn’t be able to do what it was meant to in an actual war.

Let's Go Brandon!

Yeah, because of POLITICS and GREED, for nails, 'Murika started to use microscopes instead of hammers! Worse job but more expensive (more profit for de fat cats)!

If They Are RETIRING , These Excellent Jets / Plane, They Ought To Give Them To Ukraine, They Need All The Help Can Get

😂😂😂 blablabla

FAKE NEWS PPL !!! They just did BILLIONS in upgrades good till the 2030s !!!

If the USAF is in the process of retiring the A-10 then the US Congress needs to seriously consider Ukraine's request for A-10s, they'd no doubt come as a very nasty surprise Russian infantry and tanks.

What fools !

Don't spend a cent to mothball these aircraft give them to Ukraine. Russians would leave the battlefield and go home if Ukraine had the A-10.

Scrap Biden and keep ol' Buddy Brrrrrrt.

When POTUSTrump returns, this, I guarantee, will not happen.