Budget battle threatens the A-10 Warthog

Designed for close-air support.

This is not your typical military battle. No weapons will be fired, and no troops deployed. This is a budget battle.

In an effort to trim spending, the Air Force is planning to retire hundreds of Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, better known as the "Warthog," a move that will save the Air Force more than $3.7 billion by 2020. It is all part of a congressional mandate which aims to cut $50 billion from the Air Force budget over the next five years, just a small part of the more than $500 billion in planned cuts to the Pentagon budget over the next 10 years.
Designed solely for close-air support of ground forces, the A-10 was built to attack tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets with limited air defenses. Critics of the Warthog cancellation say it is a militarily misguided plan, one which ditches an effective, combat-proven plane just to save money for the far more expensive and unproven F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close-air support of ground forces. And perhaps a shift from the A-10 may signal an increasing reluctance for ground operations and toward rapid-response strategic strikes.

Take a look at the A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog through the years. PHOTOS