The American A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft successfully destroys boats during the war in iran. Its effectiveness has once again revived the debate about abandoning the retirement of this aircraft, which can still fight further.
Defense One writes about this, citing the words of Dan Grazier. He is a senior fellow at the Stimson Center as well as director of the national security reform program at this nonprofit organization.
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The researcher stated that the A-10 is a positive example of a weapons system designed simply and with an eye toward military effectiveness. Therefore, successes in its use over iran should be a wake-up call for military personnel and congressmen who advocate for retirement.
To determine further Pentagon policy, the U.S. Air Force is required to provide a detailed report on the condition of all such aircraft, as well as detailed decommissioning plans. At the same time, it's already determined that by the end of the current fiscal year the number of aircraft will be no less than 103 units.
Fifth-generation F-35 fighters are supposed to replace the attack aircraft for close air support role. However, constant problems around the latter raise doubts about how effective this will be.
Defense Express notes that such debate has been ongoing for a very long time, since attempts to retire the A-10 have been made for more than one decade. This is not surprising, considering the development of air defense systems that question the aircraft's survivability on the modern battlefield against a full-fledged adversary.
At the same time, the appearance of drones may give this attack aircraft a second life, since it can carry weapons, including APKWS counter-drone missiles. Opposition can be provided both to UAVs and maritime drones, which were most likely meant by boats.
However, it's worth remembering that A-10s are no longer being produced, while spare parts for them are being "cannibalized" from storage. So even despite the appearance of a new role, issues of age and component shortage will still send the aircraft into retirement. Let's recall that the last major overhaul of the attack aircraft has already been completed, after which the corresponding unit will be disbanded.
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