The A-10 Dilemma... Demolition By Neglect | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.29.24

Airborne-NextGen-04.30.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.01.24 Airborne-AffordableFlyers--05.02.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.03.24

Sat, May 28, 2022

The A-10 Dilemma... Demolition By Neglect

USAF Resorts to Destroying A-10 Fleet by Legerdemain

The U.S. Air Force is starving its aging fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft of critical maintenance and upgrades, thereby surreptitiously circumventing Congressional mandates to preserve the uniquely capable, much-loved warplane—so indicates a recent report by the nonprofit, Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

The 26 April 2022 report states the Air Force has essentially hollowed out the A-10 fleet by forgoing critical maintenance, including new wings and upgrades to a central computer system required for deployment.

In a separate, 22 March 2022 slide-show published by POGO, the head of the A-10 maintenance program at Hill Air Force Base in Utah details how the Air Force has delayed maintenance and shifted resources away from the A-10 fleet to create a massive backlog of repair work. POGO estimates that more than half of the A-10s in service aren't deployable overseas. This estimate is corroborated by USAF A-10 system program manager Pam Lee, who states 145 of the Air Force’s 281 A-10s are non-deployable —meaning they have insufficient flight-hours remaining before major maintenance to serve a six-month overseas deployment.

The Air Force did not respond to requests for comment on the POGO report, but it did confirm the (aforementioned) A-10 briefing slides were genuine.

Dan Grazier, senior defense policy fellow at the Center for Defense Information at POGO called the Air Force's actions "demolition by neglect." Grazier, a former Marine Corps tank captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the nation has no other platform dedicated to the close air support of ground troops and there is no reason why the A-10 cannot continue to serve.

"There's nothing inherently wrong with old aircraft — if an aircraft was well-designed originally and then maintained properly throughout the years, you can get a lot of use out of it," Grazier said, citing upgrades to the 1950s-era B-52 bomber expected to keep the bomber flying into the 2050s.

Grazier says he hopes the report will lead to a full investigation into the Air Force's handling of the A-10 and its defiance of Congress.

FMI: www.pogo.org/analysis/2022/04/air-force-leaders-defy-congresss-a-10-mandates

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.01.24): Say Altitude

Say Altitude Used by ATC to ascertain an aircraft's specific altitude/flight level. When the aircraft is climbing or descending, the pilot should state the indicated altitude round>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.01.24)

Aero Linx: European Air Law Association (EALA) EALA was established in 1988 with the aim to promote the study of European air law and to provide an open forum for those with an int>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Korean War Hero Twice Reborn

From 2023 (YouTube Version): The Life, Death, Life, Death, and Life of a Glorious Warbird In 1981, business-owner Jim Tobul and his father purchased a Chance-Vought F4U Corsair. Mo>[...]

Airborne 04.29.24: EAA B-25 Rides, Textron 2024, G700 Deliveries

Also: USCG Retires MH-65 Dolphins, Irish Aviation Authority, NATCA Warns FAA, Diamond DA42 AD This summer, history enthusiasts will have a unique opportunity to experience World Wa>[...]

Airborne Affordable Flyers 05.02.24: Bobby Bailey, SPRG Report Cards, Skydive!

Also: WACO Kitchen Bails, French SportPlane Mfr to FL, Dynon-Advance Flight Systems, Innovation Preview Bobby Bailey, a bit of a fixture in sport aviation circles for his work with>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC