The official government watchdog, the impartial Government Accountability Office, has joined the chorus of voices raising doubts about the Air Force's plan to eliminate the A-10 attack plane (aka the Warthog) from the American armory. Why? Because the desk generals at the Pentagon would like to replace the A-10 with pilotless drones. Even though the Warthog has proved its life-saving usefulness time and again in combat. Once it's called on to rescue trapped American infantryman and is turned loose on a target . . . Poof! No more target. It turns out there's just no substitute for that marvel of ingenuity and accommodation called man.
The old reliable Warthog (it was introduced way back in the 1970s) was specifically designed for its mission and has been carrying it out with unremitting power and accuracy ever since. While its Gatling gun cannon wipes out the enemy threat below, its titanium armor protects the pilot from ground fire. It can also conduct vital search-and-rescue missions in which a couple of Warthogs will cover each other as they come to the rescue of downed American airmen. There is simply no adequate replacement for them now. Because they can hover over the battlefield (unlike ordinary jet fighters) and fly lower to the ground, evading enemy missiles.
All of these advantages are well known to the state's Air National Guard's 188th Wing, which used to fly them out of Fort Smith but was told to switch to guiding drones instead. But this is more than a parochial issue. To quote a congresswoman from Arizona, Martha McSally, who used to fly Warthogs: "There's no replacement for the A-10's unique ability to carry out close air support, including situations that require an ability to loiter, fly under weather, and visually identify friendly and enemy forces. [The] GAO also confirmed the gaps that would occur under the Air Force's inconsistent replacement timeline, which would retire A-10 squadrons faster than they are replaced by other aircraft." Congresswoman McSally would favor a "fly-off" between the A-10 and the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to see which one can better support our troops in the field. And there's little doubt which she believes would win the contest.
In addition, the Warthog has proved its effectiveness in the fight against advancing Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. As any good worker knows, it's maddening when just the right tool for the job turns out to be missing. Better redundancy than a critical shortage. So let's hear it for the Warthog, which has proven its case time and again. And deserves the opportunity to go on proving it.
Editorial on 08/30/2016