Some USAF A-10s, F-15s Set for Retirement; F-22 Decommissioning Halted by New Defense Bill

The compromise defense policy bill revealed on Wednesday night outlines decisions affecting the Air Force's fleet. It approves the retirement of older F-15 Eagle fighters, A-10 Warthogs, and other aircraft but blocks the effort to retire 32 older F-22A Raptors.

Lawmakers aim to assess the Air Force's plans for integrating collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs) and developing the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) future fighter platform within the $874.2 billion Fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

Although the proposal allows the Air Force to retire certain A-10s and early-model F-15s, it places conditions on decreasing the A-10 fleet until the service provides Congress with a report on close air support and Warthog-centric missions.

The ongoing debate between Congress and the Air Force over the A-10 concerns its survivability in future conflicts. Congress has previously blocked attempts to retire the Warthog.

Efforts to retire 32 F-22s, primarily used for training and deemed costly to make combat-ready, have faced opposition. Congress previously blocked the retirement of these jets and is poised to do so again.

The bill mandates the Air Force to maintain a specific fighter inventory temporarily and requests a long-term plan for tactical fighter force structure by April 1.

Lawmakers demand detailed reports on the Air Force and Navy's plans for CCAs and NGAD, focusing on acquisition strategies, costs, and performance goals. Additionally, they seek information on the HH-60W Jolly Green II rescue helicopter and other fleet retirements.

The bill also addresses concerns over early production of T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft and requires an evaluation of risks associated with overlapping development, testing, and production phases.

Lastly, the legislation calls for the Air Force's tanker fleet update plan, including the KC-135 recapitalization and the Next Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) procurement.

The bill also considers the possibility of transferring retired aircraft to ally or partner nations, although it does not specify Ukraine in this provision.

US Deploys A-10s, F-15s, and F-16s and USS Gerald R. Ford to Middle East amid Israel-Gaza Fighting

U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, declared on Oct. 8 that extra A-10s, F-15s, and F-16s were deploying to its theater of actions alongside the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike team, which arrived on Tuesday in the Eastern Mediterranean.

On Thursday, the 354th Fighter Squadron from Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, reached the CENTCOM area.

“We expect to see more posture increases flowing in over the next week,” said the senior defense official, who did not specify what U.S. military forces would arrive in the region. “The [CENTCOM] announcement of the posture increases on Sunday are extremely significant and sizeable, and it’s going to take a couple days to get all those augmentations in place.”

U.S. military personnel stationed at the American embassy in Israel are also offering advise to the Israel Defense Forces concerning hostage rescue mission. Pentagon at present does not have any intention of dispatching American ground troops to Israel.

Meanwhile, the USS Ford and its task force will conduct in a range of assignments in the Eastern Mediterranean, encompassing intelligence and maritime assistance. Despite the Ford's task force being capable of executing long-range attacks, that is not a choice the Defense Department is contemplating.

U.S. government authorities have not yet made a determination regarding whether the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its task force, which embarked on a deployment to Europe arranged before the Oct. 7 assaults, will rendezvous with the USS Ford in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The initial U.S. delivery of compact-size bombs and various armaments reached Israel in the recent week. Upcoming transports of military gear for Israel should comprise anti-aircraft systems, artillery rounds, Joint Direct Attack Munition sets, alternative precision-guided armaments, and interceptors for their Iron Dome setup.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to travel to Israel, where he will meet withIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Israel's war cabinet.

 

NEWS 2022 April, 9

NATO fighters intercept Russian Jets over Black Sea from base in Romania

NATO jets scrambled from this Romanian base four times in the last 20 days to intercept Russian fighters that launched from Crimea, flying toward NATO territory along the Black Sea coast. Each time, the Russian jets turned away without incident, but the flights represent a growing threat to the alliance.

The intent of the Russian practice was not immediately clear to the NATO air policing commanders and Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejon, Spain. But, it underscored the importance of the mission to protect the skies over what defense officials say is the NATO front line in the Russian war with Ukraine.

airforcemag

Congress blocks USAF A-10 retirement

Last year, the Air Force announced it wanted to retire 42 A-10C Thunderbolt II planes, all but seven of which are housed at the Tucson base. Dumping those jets in 2022 would have made room to bring testing and training for the A-10 and the HH-60 combat search-and-rescue helicopter from Nellis AFB in Nevada to Davis-Monthan.

Davis-Monthan is home to A-10Cs, HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, HC-130 Hercules transport jets and the EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare planes. It’s been on the cusp of change for years: Officials have tried and failed multiple times to dump at least some of the Air Force’s 280 or so A-10s in favor of longer-range, stealthy platforms, and are replacing Pave Hawks and Compass Calls with newer models.

The Air Force wanted to move Nellis’s A-10 weapons instructor course and test and evaluation work to Arizona this year. The HH-60G’s advanced tactics course for instructors, test and combat units would join them in 2024.

defensenews

Slovakia has provided its S-300 air defense 'legacy' systems to Ukraine

Slovak Defence Minister said the United States will deploy a Patriot air defense system in his country next week.

Announcement came shortly after Slovakia donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system to Ukraine at its request that Slovakia was willing to provide its S-300 to Ukraine on condition it has a proper replacement.

Additionally, Germany and the Netherlands have agreed to send troops armed with Patriot missiles to Slovakia as part of 2,100-strong force made up of soldiers from several NATO members states, including the U.S. The force will form a battlegroup on Slovak territory to boost NATO defenses on the alliance’s eastern flank.

NATO members Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece have S-300s, which can fire missiles hundreds of miles and knock out cruise missiles as well as aircraft.

Slovak Prime Minister recently visited the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with top European Union officials, ahead of a planned meeting with Ukrainian President.

Zelenskyy had mentioned S-300s by name when he spoke to U.S. lawmakers by video last month, appealing for defense systems that would allow Ukraine to “close the skies” to Russian planes and missiles.

defensenews

NEWS 2022 March, 29

First Mission for Spain's Ejercito del Aire A330

The flight will transport 85 Ukrainian orphans to Spain. The children, who will travel under the tutelage of their caregivers from the orphanage.

The aircraft used is the first of three A330 units acquired by Spain which are being converted to multi-role transport and supply aircraft at the Airbus facilities in Getafe. 

This is one more of the humanitarian flights organized by the Ministry of Defense since the war in Ukraine began.

defensa.gob

Canada to Buy 88 F-35 Fighter Jets From Lockheed Martin After Years of Delays

Canada announced plans Monday to buy 88 US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to replace its aging flee of F-18s.

The new aircraft’s central role will be to patrol North American air space with the US Air Force under NORAD and it could also be tasked with helping to bolster NATO defenses in Europe, or other overseas missions.

Lockheed Martin beat out Saab’s Gripen, after Boeing’s Superhornet was excluded from the running, and an Airbus-led consortium and France’s Dassault Aviation withdrew their Typhoon and Rafale fighters from the competition.

Ottawa had earmarked 19 billion Canadian dollars ($15 billion) for the purchase six years ago. Negotiations with Lockheed Martin would now proceed to finalize the contract within the next seven months with delivery of the aircraft as early as 2025.

Canada spent two decades helping to develop the stealth fighter with the United States and its allies.

But when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s Liberals swept to power in 2015 he scrapped three previous administrations’ plans to purchase the state-of-the-art F-35 to replace its aging F-18 fleet, calling it too expensive.

Prior to Monday, Canada was the only nation in the partnership not yet committed to buying the F-35s.

It follows Germany’s announcement mid-March to buy 35 F-35s as part of a multi-billion-euro push to modernize its armed forces in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Finland’s order of 64 stealth fighters in December after seeing a spike in incursions into its airspace by Russian jets in recent years.

Airbus said when it withdrew from the Canadian competition in 2019 that NORAD security requirements were too expensive, while sources told AFP that Dassault Aviation was unable to meet technical requirements tied to Canada’s membership in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group of nations.

The Five Eyes group is comprised of Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.

Ottawa had planned to buy 18 new Boeing Super Hornets as a stopgap while it relaunched the procurement competition, but that deal fell apart over a trade dispute.

Canada bought 18 used Australian F-18 jets to fill an air force interim capability gap. These were similar to its own F-18s, which were first deployed in 1983.

thedefensepost

USAF wants to retire and scrap up to 33 F-22 Raptors

The Air Force plans to retire nearly three dozen of Tyndall Air Force Base’s F-22 fighter jets in fiscal 2023, ending tentative plans to move them to Virginia that have been on hold for more than three years.

The Raptors have been flying out of nearby Eglin AFB in Florida since a hurricane destroyed Tyndall in October 2018.

Officials want to divest 33 of the service’s oldest F-22s and use that money to instead research cutting-edge combat jet designs under the “Next-Generation Air Dominance” program. If Congress approves the idea, it would send all but three Block 20 Raptors to the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona, and shrink the overall fleet from 186 to 153 fighters.

The Air Force’s remaining F-22s would be redistributed across the Raptor squadrons, which include units at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Eglin.

Eglin has hosted flying operations for the 325th Fighter Wing since Hurricane Michael destroyed their previous home at Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle. That includes the Air Force’s only F-22 training unit, the 43rd Fighter Squadron.

defensenews

USAF wants to retire 150 Aircraft but add up to 24 F-15E

The Air Force is looking to get rid of 150 aircraft, including 21 Warthogs, and add 24 F-15 fighter jets with an eye toward the Pacific region, according to its proposed $169.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2023 released Monday.

The Air Force request rolled out Monday as part of the Pentagon’s proposed $773 billion fiscal year 2023 budget.

The Air Force budget adds $2.7 billion over the previous year in procurement, with about $1.4 billion earmarked for 24 F-15 EX fighter jets. In 2022, the service added 12.

The Air Force also projects divesting 21 A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets, known as Warthogs, in this proposed budget, which will be backfilled by F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets.

stripes

USAF may soon start combat-testing new aircraft that could fight alongside the A-10

The Air Force is preparing to launch Combat Dragon III, a combat demonstration meant to test light-attack aircraft in the field, according to Aviation Week.
Air Force leaders have not yet reached a final determination about the exercise, but officials have forged ahead.
"We are preparing as if we're going," Air Force Reserve Col. Mike Pietrucha, who is light-attack adviser to Air Combat Command, told Aviation Week.
The service has selected a squadron commander and settled on a detachment of 70 people, Pietrucha said.
Those personnel will be drawn from operational squadrons, and staff and will be required to have at least 1,000 flight hours and combat experience, among other qualifications.
At the beginning of this year, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said the service was looking for an inexpensive fighter that could perform close-air-support missions over the battlefield.
The aircraft in question was reportedly envisioned as a cheap plane available commercially and which could handle combat missions — including close air support, basic surface attacks, and rescue escorts — against insurgents and even near-peer adversaries.
In August, the Air Force conducted the Light Attack Experiment, or OA-X, at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. The service said OA-X was part its efforts to "explore cost-effective attack platform options" and featured Textron's Scorpion and AT-6 Wolverine, the Super Tucano A-29 made by Embraer and Sierra Nevada, and Air Tractor's AT-802L Longsword.
businessinsider

US Air Force could ground A-10s as early as FY18 as life of wings runs out

The Air Force may be forced to ground a portion of its A-10 Warthog squadrons as early as fiscal year 2018, as their wings age out before replacements can be provided, the head of Air Force Materiel Command said Wednesday.
Although the service plans to keep the majority of its A-10 fleet into the forseable future, leaders have acknowledged that it will be forced to retire three Warthog squadrons unless it is given money for new wings. Currently, 109 out of 281 A-10s need their wings replaced to extend their lives to 16,000 flight hours.
defensenews

USAF A-10 'Warthog' will stick around until at least 2021

A-10 Warthog fans can breathe a sigh of relief: The Air Force won’t start retiring the famed close-air support plane until 2021, at the very earliest.
The decision delays initial retirement of the aircraft by three years, as the Air Force had planned to begin mothballing the A-10 as early as 2018. However, the service is still deliberating the future of the platform, including whether it still needs to start a new program to replace it, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said Tuesday.
“We’re going to keep them until 2021, and then as a discussion that we’ll have with [Defense] Secretary [Jim] Mattis and the department and the review over all of our budgets, that is what will determine the way ahead,” he told reporters.
defensenews

Pentagon: A-10 will stay until 2022

Defense Secretary Ash Carter today announced what has been anticipated for month: the A-10 will not be retired.
In a speech previewing next week’s budget release, Carter also highlighted new technologies his department is developing in order to meet what he called a “major inflection point” that takes “the long view” for the department.
airforcetimes

USAF to Delay A-10 Retirement, Thanks to ISIS

After trying to retire the battle-tested Warthog for the past two years, Air Force officials concede that the plane is key to the war on ISIS.
The Air Force is shelving its immediate plans to retire the A-10 Warthog attack plane, which has become critical to the U.S. bombing campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, Pentagon officials tell Defense One.
Air Force officials say they still need to retire the A-10 to make room for newer warplanes, but that the calculus for its sunsetting has been thrown off by commanders’ demands for the Warthog now.
Putting the A-10’s retirement plans on hold is a key policy shift that will be laid out next month when the Pentagon submits its 2017 budget request to Congress, said Pentagon officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the Obama Administration’s spending plan before its official release.
An Air Force spokeswoman declined further comment because the Pentagon’s budget request has not been finalized and publicly released.
Top Air Force officials had already hinted that the A-10 retirement plans might be put on hold due to the planes’ demand in combat.
The venerable attack plane, often championed by Army and Marine Corps ground forces, was built to fly low and slow, close to the battlefield to work in tandem with ground troops. Top Air Force officials acknowledged that the A-10 flies these so-called close air support missions better than any other plane in the arsenal. But officials said other aircraft could fly these missions, albeit not as well as the Warthog. Retirement, they said, would free up money to pay for newer planes, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a more expensive warplane intended to replace the A-10 and F-16 fighter.
Two years ago when the Air Force first proposed sending the A-10s into retirement, the service planned to shift maintenance workers from the Warthog to the F-35. At the time, no American forces were in Iraq or Syria and Washington was preparing to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. But since then, ISIS has spread across the Middle East and a resurgence of the Taliban has delayed the drawdown in Afghanistan.
The Air Force’s request to retire the A-10 has met with a wide wave of negative responses. In the midst of it all, the Air Force has deployed squadrons to fly combat missions against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria. Warthogs have also deployed to Europe where they flew in military drills with NATO allies.
Opponents of the A-10 retirement say the plane is effective both in lethality and cost for the current wars when compared to newer, high-performance aircraft like the F-16 fighter or B-1B bomber.
Congress has routinely blasted the Air Force’s A-10 retirement plans and blocked its retirement.
defenseone

USAF A-10s and C-130s destroy Islamic State fuel trucks

The Defense Department on Wednesday evening released video of a series of airstrikes targeting fuel trucks operated by the Islamic State group.
The Pentagon video — which refers to the Islamic State group as "Daesh," a derogatory Arabic term for the militant group — said the strikes took place Monday near Abu Kamal, Syria, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
The strikes destroyed 116 tanker trucks.
"This is our first strike against tanker trucks, and to minimize risks to civilians, we conducted a leaflet drop prior to the strike," spokeperson said.
airforcetimes

Twelve USAF A-10Cs landed at Amari Air Base, Estonia

Twelve A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and approximately 350 Airmen from the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived at Amari Air Base, Estonia September 21, as part of a theater security package deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The Airmen and aircraft, deployed from the 23d Wing out of Moody Air Force Base, Ga., will augment the U.S. Air Forces in Europe's existing efforts as part of OAR to conduct training with NATO allies to further develop interoperability and demonstrate U.S. commitment to the security and stability of Europe.
af.mil

First functional Boeing KC-46A tanker to fly 25 September

The air force’s developmental next-generation tanker, the Boeing KC-46A, is expected to make its maiden flight 25 September.
Preparation for the first flight paused for 30 days after a chemical mixup contaminated the integrated fuel system and any schedule margin built into the programme is long gone.
Despite several setbacks and an almost one-year schedule delay, the second engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft, the first functional tanker, is in fuel dock after receiving repairs and should be airborne by the month’s end.
The first KC-46A is expected to start passing fuel in January or February 2016 after a few months of general flying.
As part of its test programme, the aircraft will pass fuel to a F-16, C-17, F/A-18, A-10, AV-8B and another KC-46A.
A “milestone C” production and fielding decision is expected in April 2016 and two contract awards for low-rate initial production will follow in quick succession. The first low-rate production contract is for seven aircraft and the second buys a dozen tankers.
EMD-1, the 767-2C freighter the tanker is based on, has completed flutter testing and EMD-4 is scheduled to begin ground demonstrations later this month. Mission system verification demonstrations will continued through November, according to the updated schedule.
flightglobal

USAF A-10s to return to Europe

The A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft will return to Europe in the next few months, the US Air Force (USAF) confirmed on 11 August.
In total, 12 A-10s from the 23rd Wing will deploy from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, to Europe as part of a Theatre Security Package (TSP) in support of NATO's 'Operation Atlantic Resolve'.
Dates and locations for the deployment were not confirmed by the USAF, which noted that they would be deployed "this fall" and "to locations in central and eastern European NATO countries". It added, "these A-10s will conduct training alongside NATO allies and partners to strengthen interoperability and to demonstrate US commitment to the security and stability of Europe."
The alliance introduced Operation Atlantic Resolve following the Ukraine crisis in order to reassure NATO's eastern European members that had been made nervous of Russia's intentions.
janes

USAF Will not Sell A-10 To Anyone

The US Air Force has closed the lid on discussions about shopping the A-10 Warthog to allies. USAF will not sell the close-in attack aircraft to anyone.
Boeing triggered speculation about whether the US government would consider selling the aircraft it wants to retire when a company official told reporters there have been “early discussions” about international sales.
“It’s something we would be interested in, but again, it depends where the air force goes with retirements”.
flightglobal

USAF A-10 'Warthog' likely to keep flying

The A-10 is poised to dodge retirement. Again.
After a near-death experience in 2014, the aircraft appears to be cruising toward renewal from Congress.
The Air Force has waged a protracted battle to mothball its fleet of A-10s, calling it a necessary cost-saving move that would save roughly $4 billion. Service leaders say the A-10’s close air support mission can be carried out by other planes, including the F-16 fighter, the B-1 bomber and the long-awaited F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
But that argument has failed to persuade lawmakers, who counter that the service has no suitable replacement for the aircraft that today is flying missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, the House approved a fiscal 2016 national defense authorization act (NDAA) that includes roughly $683 million to keep the A-10 flying, rebuffing the Air Force’s pleas.
While the Senate proposal, which could reach the floor in June, does not include around $240 million to re-wing the aging fleet, it does ask the Air Force to maintain, at minimum, 171 A-10s in combat status.
thehill

Taiwan a potential buyer of retired US A-10 Warthogs

Taiwan has been tagged as a potential buyer of refurbished A-10 Thunderbolt II jets should the ground attack aircraft be retired from the US Air Force.
Boeing's chief engineer of off-Boeing programs, said at a media event on May 20 that the A-10 that the company has begun early discussions with the USAF to sell off refurbished A-10s to international customers.
If the USAF is allowed to retire its A-10 fleet, the most likely course of action given where the re-winging contract has progressed to is for Boeing to complete the service contract so the aircraft can be sold to interested international parties.
The refurbished A-10 could include a new engine, a cockpit upgrade including a helmet-mounted cueing system, and targeting pods. These proposed enhancements are only in a concept stage and are not being touted in response to any specific customer requests, he added.
Taiwan is a possible candidate given its enthusiasm in acquiring America's retired Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates last year. Coincidentally, Taiwan currently lacks a superior performance attack aircraft.
Other countries listed as potential interested parties include South Korea and Iraq.
wantchinatimes

USAF shifting maintainers from A-10 to F-35

The Air Force is moving a small group of airmen off the A-10 to help get the next-generation F-35 operational.
The service is moving 18 A-10s to backup status, under a compromise approved in the fiscal 2015 Defense Authorization Act. That frees up a small number of airmen to get the F-35 ready. However, the service needs at least 1,100 maintainers to reach the August 2016 milestone.
The Air Force is standing up the first operational base of F-35s at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, with training now beginning at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The service needs its maintainers ready to start training by late summer to have them ready to get the F-35 to initial operating capability by August 2016.
The 2015 law lets the Air Force move up to 36 A-10s to "backup" non-flying status. The service said earlier this year it was moving 18 to that status, all of these are from active-duty squadrons, and the service could sideline the rest of the authorized 36 this year if it needs to. The service has 283 total A-10s.
Despite the maintenance manning issues, the service is still confident it will reach initial operating capability on time.
airforcetimes

Boeing discussing international A-10 Warthog sales

Boeing has floated the idea of selling refurbished A-10 Warthogs to other nations as the US Air Force seeks to retire the airplane.
The company is currently extending the service life of the air force’s A-10 fleet through a re-winging programme, and it recently delivered its 100th modification with more than 70 modifications left on contract.
The US government might pursue international sales of upgraded A-10s. Dozens of A-10s are currently in near-flyaway storage at the air force’s boneyard facility in Arizona, and could be brought back into the operational fleet at any time.
Although there aren't exact customers, Boeing has begun early discusssions.
Congress has long protected the A-10 from retirement, and fiscal 2016 looks to be no different.
No other nation currently operates the A-10.
flightglobal

US House panel blocks A-10 retirement

The House Armed Services Committee has approved a plan to keep the A-10 in the air.
The committee passed an amendment late Wednesday from former A-10 pilot Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., to block any attempt by the Air Force to cut any Warthogs. The amendment is on top of language in the defense authorization bill to authorize about $682 million to keep the A-10s flying.
The amendment and the full bill now head to the full House floor for a vote, and the Senate will mark up its version of the bill later this year. Multiple senators, including Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have vowed to protect the jet.
The vote came as the Air Force rescinded a warning that keeping the A-10 would delay the deadline of making the F-35 deployable.
airforcetimes

House panel votes to keep the A-10 Warthog flying another year

The House Armed Services Committee voted early Thursday morning to keep the A-10 attack jet flying another year, as the panel marked up its 2016 defense policy bill.
An amendment, proposed by Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), would prohibit the Air Force from taking any moves to retire the plane, something it has been trying to do for several years under budget constraints.
The amendment passed by voice vote after emotional debate by members of the committee, particularly military veterans on the panel, who argued for and against keeping the plane, which is designed to support ground troops in battle.
McSally, a retired Air Force colonel, A-10 pilot and squadron commander, led the case for keeping the attack jet, arguing it had superior loitering capabilities and a powerful weapons load, even bringing in a real, but non-live, ammunition round.
thehill