Concur

The War Zone

A-10 Pilot's Compelling Case For Replacing Warthogs With...

An A-10 Weapons Instructor lays out how buying F/A-18E/Fs fits the Air Force's imperatives and keeps the A-10's unique braintrust intact.

For an AF variant (if the AF wanted mods), stretch fuselage a bit, add UARSSI to the CFTs, delete wing folding, maybe lighter but still STOL capable gear/airframe, adjust pylons to eliminate stores toeing arrangements

Not like a freaking 2-3 inch wide pipe directly in front of the HUD is going to cause field of view problems with pipper placement for weapons employment.

22 hours ago, TreeA10 said:

Not like a freaking 2-3 inch wide pipe directly in front of the HUD is going to cause field of view problems with pipper placement for weapons employment.

2 Aft, three high....quiblling.

2 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

2 Aft, three high....quiblling.

I'm not talking about getting on the basket, I'm wondering if you have an obstructed view to put the gun or bomb pipper on the target as you squeeze the trigger or hit the pickle button.

7 minutes ago, TreeA10 said:

I'm not talking about getting on the basket, I'm wondering if you have an obstructed view to put the gun or bomb pipper on the target as you squeeze the trigger or hit the pickle button.

The new $1.2M helmet system gets around that pesky issue. Just a few more years to go for fielding.

On 4/10/2026 at 4:56 PM, TreeA10 said:

Not like a freaking 2-3 inch wide pipe directly in front of the HUD is going to cause field of view problems with pipper placement for weapons employment.

Would be cool if it could fold down

13 minutes ago, arg said:

Would be cool if it could fold down

That would be so typical AF, we have something that works, is field tested. Great now let's over engineer it, spend millions and delay it until the jet is gone.

Not to say that they thought of everything... but they kinda thought of everything. Helps to have a Hog Driver running the design and implementation.

There was "NO" way they were going to block the gunsight.

Last class

The Aviationist

Final Class of A-10C Thunderbolt II Pilots Graduates at D...

The 357th Fighter Squadron graduated its last A-10C Thunderbolt II student pilots at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, marking the end of an era for the sole

And interview with the author of Superhornet replacing Warthog

Extended until 2030 boys!

@Sua Sponte , get over to the hangar, and tell them to get that depot line started back up!

1 hour ago, Blue said:

@Sua Sponte , get over to the hangar, and tell them to get that depot line started back up!

I’m wondering how that’s going to work since a lot of the F-16 SPO absorbed a lot of the A-10 SPO personnel in the last few months.

54 minutes ago, Sua Sponte said:

I’m wondering how that’s going to work since a lot of the F-16 SPO absorbed a lot of the A-10 SPO personnel in the last few months.

I'm sure most of the parts are the same. Most of the body panels are gray, so I'm sure they're interchangeable. Say, how do you think the A-10 will do with afterburning motors?

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by FourFans

The last A-10 RTU has closed so..... What now?

Imgflip

buford t justice

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/20/us-air-force-extends-a-10-warthog-through-2030/

5 hours ago, TreeA10 said:

The last A-10 RTU has closed so..... What now?

Ops to Ops for everyone! Sucks to be the last Lt showing up to a squadron right now, 4 years of being the SNACKO and scheduler.

We started this in 2015-16 timeframe, but ACC better figure out who’s taking CSAR (fighter-wise) and “CAS culture.” The A-10 will die someday, even if it has another surprise lease in the future. Should be a prime focus for someone in the community. You got 4 years, don’t fuck it up!

3 hours ago, brabus said:

We started this in 2015-16 timeframe, but ACC better figure out who’s taking CSAR (fighter-wise) and “CAS culture.” The A-10 will die someday, even if it has another surprise lease in the future. Should be a prime focus for someone in the community. You got 4 years, don’t fuck it up!

The answer back then was guard Vipers, and a few AD TASS units (Nellis, Korea, and maybe Spang?) for advocacy reasons. I don't think the plan made it out of the A3 before the A-10 got saved again though.

The giant problem is the RTM. There isn't enough room to do a like for like transition without almost completely dropping air to air, which was a non-starter for the F-15E.

13 minutes ago, busdriver said:

The answer back then was guard Vipers, and a few AD TASS units

Yep, and I personally think that’s still the best answer. But, just need to have it all lined up vs. scrambling at the 11th hour (I know, wishful thinking). A great move would be Boise - getting Blk 40s, just have them transition to the new jet with no/little change in DOC statement. Profit from the shit ton of experience they have (who are all about to leave ASAP…so, maybe just a theoretical win at this point)

1 hour ago, brabus said:

Profit from the shit ton of experience they have (who are all about to leave ASAP…so, maybe just a theoretical win at this point)

Transitioning the remaining A-10 units to F-16 would be the way. But given how dumb we can be, it wouldn't surprise me if they push those squadrons to F-35, and then convert a handfull of C-130 units to F-16s.

But realistically this will slow roll until the current Bob's are out of the seats; and then instutional mono-mania will set back in and all focus will be on NGAD.

Nailed it.

5 hours ago, busdriver said:

The giant problem is the RTM. There isn't enough room to do a like for like transition without almost completely dropping air to air, which was a non-starter for the F-15E.

Honest question, could they convert to an F-16, 15, etc…, keep an air to air capability but make it a sim only CT event and yearly live fly exercise or something that could keep the Attack Mission with focus on CAS but retain some Air to Air capacity, honing it if required but always kept to at least a simmer? Modified RTM that is.