Congress Rebuffs Air Force's Plan to Retire Older Aircraft, Putting A-10 Move on Hold
28 Jul 2021
Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk
With congressional members rejecting the U.S. Air Force’s plans to make substantial cuts to some of its oldest aircraft fleets, the service will put its plan to shift some close air support aircraft to Arizona on hold as it figures out other options.
Last month, the service said it would move some A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to consolidate close air support and rescue operations while retiring some of the oldest Warthogs in the fleet. Specifically, 14 aircraft that are used for an A-10 weapons course and test and evaluation would relocate from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to the base in Arizona in 2022. The move was predicated on Congress approving the Air Force's 2022 budget request to get rid of 42 A-10s -- an attempt the service has tried before, but to no avail, because lawmakers shot it down.
Lawmakers would block the retirement of the A-10s again if the recent Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the bill becomes law, prompting a pause in the plans to move the 14 aircraft, the service announced last week.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/07/28/congress-rebuffs-air-forces-plan-retire-older-aircraft-putting-10-move-hold.html