Sunday, December 1, 2013

The U.S. Air Force's A-10 Will Continue To Fly Until 2028

The A-10 has proven itself to be the platform of choice for close air support missions, and many have criticised USAF plans to withdraw the aircraft as a cost saving measure. Source: US Air Force

Northrop Grumman Awarded A-10 Support Contract -- Janes 360

Northrop Grumman was recently awarded two work orders worth nearly USD24 million to help sustain the US Air Force's (USAF's) fleet of Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support (CAS) aircraft.

The contracts were awarded in mid-November as part of the A-10 Thunderbolt Life Cycle Program Support (TLPS) programme. Under TLPS, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, can compete for A-10 work orders, the first three of which were awarded to Lockheed Martin in late 2009.

Under the terms of the first, Northrop Grumman and its teammates will support the A-10 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) Modernisation Program on tasks required to keep the aircraft viable through to 2028 and beyond. This contract spans four years.

Read more ....

Update: Why the ‘Warthog’ Matters -- Kelley Vlahos, American Conservative

My Comment: This was the smart move to do. On a side note .... the reason why there was talk on the A-10 being cancelled in the first place was the push from F-35 supporters that the F-35 would be able to assume some of the operations that the A-10 is doing now .... so why spend the money for an "old" aircraft. Hmmmm ..... makes you wonder if there are some in the Air Force who are now losing confidence in the F-35 program.

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