21 Avenger Salute: Congress Sentences a Batch of A-10s to the Boneyard for the First Time in Decades
9 Dec 2022
Military.com | By Thomas Novelly
Congress has finally agreed to bid adieu to nearly two dozen A-10 Warthogs, after lawmakers fervently defended the aging aircraft and stopped the Air Force from retiring the aircraft. It marks the first time in decades that lawmakers have agreed to put A-10s out to pasture.
The 57-foot, 6-inch wingspan close-support aircraft has been in service since the 1970s. The signature "brrrttt" noise emitted from its 30 mm Gatling-style guns, which aided troops extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan in addition to playing a key role in the first Gulf War, helped garner a fanatic following among service members, as well as Washington lawmakers who have fervently protected it from retirement.
But under the latest defense budget agreement, which was passed by the House on Thursday and is expected to pass the Senate soon, 21 A-10s from the Indiana Air National Guard's 122nd Fighter Wing will be retired and sent to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base boneyard in Tucson, Arizona.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/12/09/21-avenger-salute-congress-sentences-batch-of-10s-boneyard-first-time-decades.html