Post by Admin on Jun 14, 2020 16:34:17 GMT -5
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The Senate Armed Services Committee isn't keen on the U.S. Air Force's plans to retire legacy aircraft in favor of new technology, putting a stop to some proposed aircraft retirements and delaying others.
The service had plans to retire more than 100 planes across its bomber, airlift, tanker and drone fleets per its budget request made earlier this year. Officials wanted to cut 17 B-1B Lancer bombers, reducing the fleet to just 44; retire 44 A-10 Thunderbolt II close-air support aircraft; cut roughly 30 older-model KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender refuelers; send 24 RQ-4 Global Hawk drones, some which are used as a networking Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, or BACN, to the boneyard; and divest 24 C-130H Hercules — the oldest model left in the cargo inventory.
Most notably, the bill preserves the A-10 Warthog, which the service has tried to phase out over the last five-plus years, or send a number of them to the boneyard.
Hundreds of A-10s in the fleet have received new wings or are in the process of receiving upgrades to their wings despite the battle over how many aircraft the service can retire in coming years. The Air Force has repeatedly stressed it can maintain roughly six of its nine A-10 combat squadrons through 2032.
Former Air Force Col. Martha McSally, now a Republican senator from Arizona, has been a steadfast supporter of keeping additional squadrons of the A-10 -- the aircraft she flew during her time in the service.
"Why would we want to get rid of that until we have a suitable alternative?" she recently told Military.com. "It's got the ability to fly well into the 2040s, and we're going to keep fighting to make sure it does."
The Senate Armed Services Committee isn't keen on the U.S. Air Force's plans to retire legacy aircraft in favor of new technology, putting a stop to some proposed aircraft retirements and delaying others.
The service had plans to retire more than 100 planes across its bomber, airlift, tanker and drone fleets per its budget request made earlier this year. Officials wanted to cut 17 B-1B Lancer bombers, reducing the fleet to just 44; retire 44 A-10 Thunderbolt II close-air support aircraft; cut roughly 30 older-model KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender refuelers; send 24 RQ-4 Global Hawk drones, some which are used as a networking Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, or BACN, to the boneyard; and divest 24 C-130H Hercules — the oldest model left in the cargo inventory.
Most notably, the bill preserves the A-10 Warthog, which the service has tried to phase out over the last five-plus years, or send a number of them to the boneyard.
Hundreds of A-10s in the fleet have received new wings or are in the process of receiving upgrades to their wings despite the battle over how many aircraft the service can retire in coming years. The Air Force has repeatedly stressed it can maintain roughly six of its nine A-10 combat squadrons through 2032.
Former Air Force Col. Martha McSally, now a Republican senator from Arizona, has been a steadfast supporter of keeping additional squadrons of the A-10 -- the aircraft she flew during her time in the service.
"Why would we want to get rid of that until we have a suitable alternative?" she recently told Military.com. "It's got the ability to fly well into the 2040s, and we're going to keep fighting to make sure it does."