WASHINGTON — Ahead of President Barack Obama’s budget rollout next week, an influential Air Force pilot-turned lawmaker called on the commander-in-chief and his defense secretary to request full funding for the legacy A-10 until plans for its replacement take shape.

“As you finalize the Department of Defense’s (DOD) budget request for fiscal year 2017, I ask that you fully fund the A-10 ‘Warthog’ in a manner consistent with Congressional intent,” Rep. March McSally, R-Ariz., a retired Air Force colonel with 325 hours flying the A-10 in Iraq and Afghanistan, wrote in a Jan. 28 letter to Obama and Defense Secretary Ash Carter. “Because there is no replacement for these unique and crucial capabilities, either currently available or in development, we must maintain and improve the A-10 fleet until a real A-10 replacement exists.”

McSally has been a key champion of the A-10, along with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. McSally has rallied opposition to the Air Force’s plan to retire the A-10 in its fiscal 2016 budget request, successfully amending last year’s defense policy bill with language prohibiting any future A-10 moves to back-up status.

McSally’s efforts seem to have paid off — the Air Force is reportedly shelving the A-10’s retirement plan indefinitely due to increased demand for the attack plane, a key policy shift the Pentagon will likely lay out next week in its fiscal 2017 budget request. The spread of the Islamic State group and a resurgent Russia prompted the service to reconsider whether retiring the A-10 is the best course of action, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldstein recently told Defense News in an exclusive interview.

In the Jan. 28 letter, McSally stressed the A-10’s unique ability to fly low and slow above enemies on the ground, known as the close air support (CAS) mission. She noted the aircraft’s record protecting troops in the Middle East, as well as its cost effectiveness compared to other jets in the fleet. She also emphasized the planes are permanently stationed in South Korea to deter against “North Korean belligerence.”

Although the F-35 joint strike fighter is meant eventually to replace the A-10, McSally stressed that the JSF cannot match the Warthog as a single-mission CAS platform.

“There is no aircraft, either in the fleet or in development, that can replace the Warthog’s unique capabilities,” McSally wrote. “The specific mission set for CAS/[forward air controller-airborne]/[combat search and rescue] requires a specific aircraft, not one that is a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none.”

McSally also urged the president and defense secretary to fund depot support, maintainers and upgrades to extend the lives of the A-10 fleet, such as finishing the wing replacement effort.

"The U.S. Air Force needs a next-generation A-10 before attempting to mothball any further A-10s," McSally wrote. "I look forward to working together to support the Air Force in maintaining the A-10 and beginning the process of developing a next-generation A-10 to support our national security and bring our brave troops home alive."

Although it is not clear whether plans for an A-10 replacement, often dubbed “A-X,” will be included in this year’s budget request, top service officials have suggested the Air Force is beginning to look into that option.

When asked about the notional aircraft at the Air Force Association Air Warfare symposium in February 2015, ACC Commander Gen. Hawk Carlisle told reporters: "We're thinking about it."

"Another weapons system program may be something we need to consider as we look at the gaps and seams in the future and what we're doing," Carlisle said. "We're looking at all of that."

Meanwhile, the Air Force hosted a joint-service summit in March to work out options for the CAS mission.

We already have it.  It's called the F-35.

Replace the 30mm with an autoloading L7 105mm.

Article addresses that, and calls for an actual CAS aircraft.

I'm thinking this is more like a modern A-10

Done

I stopped reading when I saw McSally's name.  One of the worst officers I have ever met in my career.

It'll need to be stealthy.

And carry its loadout internally.

And supersonic.

And STOVL capable.

With sensor fusion.

And made by Lockheed.

If you could convince a radar not to see an aircraft because it looked "stealthy" in the visible spectrum, you'd have a winner here.

Yeah, we need an attack aircraft to replace the A10. Not replace it with some fucking fighter aircraft.

IN for responses from actual Hog pilots....yeah, im one of em.  In before the cas expert Sylvan also

HAWG >VIPER

With the billions in over budget spending on the JSF, is there any way in hell this gets funded?

The A 10 rocks

Agreed when you send a 2-ship of Hogs to a KILLBOX.  But in peacetime, nothing is more of a rush than a Viper on a 540 knot ingress thru the mountains on the Nellis range or Alaskan mountains during Cope Thunder, or Canadian wilderness during Maple Flag.  All at "500ft" AGL with red air everywhere.  


 

OH, 39 missions in desert storm I in the Hog and multiple deployments to the flags in both aircraft.  Kosovo and Bosnia in a block 50 Viper.  Viper is one hell of a rush.  

Why?

Replace it with new A-10's?

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'bout time you figured it out.

Would not A-7s be more all around versatile?

 There you are

Replace that thing with guys in gliders dual wielding Glock 20s. Same thing.

build it as a drone, reduced weight(more so extra space) could be used to add ammo and fuel.

My boondoggle: Twin Super Tucano with the cockpit reconfigured like an Hs 129. It will be  much slower than the A-10 and carry less a shorter range  but it will be really expensive and provide jobs to 6 retiring generals.

If congress insists that it be low and slow and focus on fixed wing CAS you might see the only thing which would get the Air Force to buy Tucanos.

Can't leave us hanging like that bro, please tell the story. She's my congressperson, I voted against her in the primary.

The A-10 is old and should be mothballed asap. We do need a replacement first though.

We need new stuff that is decades away and will cost trillions to make, preferentially in our districts.

Signed,
Congress.

CAn you give us your insight?  What does the Hog need?  Would new CF-34s with 13k plus thrust help it?

We crossed paths numerous times at schools and duty stations. I have never met someone more obsessed with themselves.  I have personally heard her tell the story about how she singlehandedly fought the DOD over clothing requirements when she was in Saudi and how that made her a better leader than other officers.  Overall, just a bitch.

P.S We have never fought a war in our life and have no fucking clue what we are asking for, nor have we designed jack shit.

P.P.S We piss away cash by changing specs and making Swiss Army knives.

P.P.P.S This is going to land us sweet ass consulting gigs, I'll think of the tax payers while railing a high end call girl.

An upgraded A-10 would be awesome.

How about a twin fuselage A-10 with 2 30mm  guns.

I'm telling you, replace the 30mm with autoloading L7 105mm cannons.

A-10 is best 10

That and battleships will make America great again!

We can call it an A-11. It can look like that upgraded A-10 some posts previous.

Cessna scorpion, this is what they want to replace the A10

And mount 7.62mm GAUs to fire out the sides. Both of them.

Meh...at that point just by some Alpha jets.

Looks like George Jetsons car.

Needs moar OV-10X.  

You'll have the F-35 and like it.

 

We need a low tech solution here, no need for an entirely stealth aircraft at 200 million per copy to beat up on insurgents.

Emphasis long loiter time, pilot survivability, and BRRRRRRRRT-ability. Integrate modern sensors and some of the low observability lessons from other aircradt to improve manpad survivability. Call it a day and get them out to our guys ASAP.

They are probably thinking of Tucano-type aircraft then.  The A-10 was made mainly to kill tanks.

 

I don't know. If a 20mm gatling gun is good, and a 30mm gatling gun is better, then a 40mm gatling gun would be best.

Tell us about Air Land Battle.

Small bombs and rockets, especially the PGM-capable kind, are the new guns.

Less BRRRRRRP and more BOOMs = more effective CAS.