House lawmakers authorize $103M for A-10 wings to save 3 squadrons from retiring – DefenseNews.com

WASHINGTON The House Armed Services Committee has taken its first steps toward preserving three A-10 Warthog squadrons that, without funding for new wings, could begin retiring as early as the mid-2020s.

The HASC chairmans mark of the fiscal year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, released Monday, adds $103 million for an A-10 unfunded requirement. In its FY18 unfunded priorities list, the U.S. Air Force included an equivalent amount of cash, which if appropriated would be used by Boeing to restart its A-10 wing production line and manufacture four wing sets.

As of now, the Air Force plans on retaining its A-10s through at least the next five years. Past then, some parts of the fleet will need modifications to keep flying.

The service currently operates 283 Warthogs, but only 173 of those have had their wings replaced. Unless the remaining 110 A-10s about three squadrons worth are rewinged, those aircraft would come to the end of their service lives, U.S. Air Combat Command head Gen. Mike Holmes told Defense News in an interview earlier this month.

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HASC members had telegraphed that it would once again supply the funding needed to preserve the aircraft. During a hearing this month, Rep. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican and former A-10 pilot, pointed out that testimony from Air Force officials committed to retaining only six squadrons. She then demanded to know the planning assumptions that had substantiated the decision to mothball one-third of the inventory.

From my view and my experience, if we need that capability until a proven, tested replacement comes along, nine squadrons is the absolute minimum, she said then.

Holmes has said the first A-10s could wear out their wings as early as five or so years from now, giving the service some time to figure out whether it should extend the lives of those three squadrons or replace them with F-35s or other platforms.

When their current wings expire, we have some flexibility in the depot; we have some old wings that can be repaired or rejuvenated to go on. We can work through that, so theres some flex in there," he said.

She also pointed out that the Pentagon has a defense strategy review underway a hint, perhaps, that the Air Forces budget planning assumptions could change after that analysis concludes, paving the way for an even longer lifespan for the Warthog. However, Wilson also acknowledged that the A-10 is just one of many Air Force platforms in need of revitalization.

With respect to the A-10 and its needs for continued life extension and those things, weve got a lot of equipment that needs either replacement or life extension. The A-10 is just one of them, but its a great airplane, and were committed to it, she said.