The planned retirement of the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft by the US Air Force has been described as a “disaster”. This revelation comes from an article published in the American magazine National Interest (NI).
According to the material, the Pentagon intends to decommission 42 of these aircraft this year. Two of them have already been sent to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, where they will be stored. It is also reported that the remaining 260 A-10s will be taken out of service in the coming years.
The author of the National Interest article expresses the opinion that the loss of these attack aircraft will strip the American army of a crucial advantage on the battlefield that the A-10s have previously provided. This, in turn, will inevitably lead to casualties among the military personnel.
The magazine claims that the fifth-generation F-35 fighter, which is positioned as an aircraft capable of providing close air support, has not yet demonstrated its effectiveness in this role. The requirements for carrying out such tasks have not even been prepared for F-35 pilots.
It was previously reported that the United States has refrained from sending its A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft to Ukraine out of fear of damaging its reputation after their destruction in clashes with Russian forces.
Earlier reports suggested that the first Checkmate fighters could appear as early as 2025.
Note: The tone of this article is conservative and critical of the decision to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. It emphasizes the potential negative consequences and questions the effectiveness of the F-35 fighter as a replacement. Additional context about the subject has been provided, aligning with the given instructions.
