Proponents of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been trying, for years, to retire the A-10 “Warthog” and replace it with the former. The A-10 excels at close-air support, and critics worry that a “Swiss Army Knife” like the F-35 — a jack of all trades and master of none — is a poor replacement. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur)
Read: Should we retire the A-10 Warthog?
A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan flies a combat sortie Jan. 7, 2014, over Northeast, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson/not reviewed)
An A-10C Thunderbolt II sits under a sun shade July 29, 2014, at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The A-10’s primary weapon is a single 30mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun. It can also carry up to 16,000 pounds of mixed ordnance such as cluster bomb units, joint direct attack munitions and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ryan Callaghan)
An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies during the 2014 Hawgsmoke competition July 10, 2014, at the Barry M. Goldwater Range II in Tucson, Ariz. Hawgsmoke is a biennial worldwide A-10 bombing, missile, and tactical gunnery competition, which was derived from the discontinued “Gunsmoke” Air Force Worldwide Gunnery Competition. The inaugural Hawgsmoke was in 2000 at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Susan Harrington)
An A-10 Thunderbolt II from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base strafes during the 2014 Hawgsmoke competition July 10, 2014, at the Barry M. Goldwater Range II in Tucson, Ariz. Hawgsmoke is a biennial worldwide A-10 bombing, missile, and tactical gunnery competition. Four-ship teams of aircraft and pilots from A-10 units around the world compete for the honor of being the best in ground attack and target destruction. LINK
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