Two U.S. Air Force A-10A Warthogs, from the 52nd Fighter Wing, 81st Fighter Squadron, Spangdhalem Air Base, Germany, in flight during a NATO Operation Allied Force combat mission. The "Tank Killer" A-10As, deployed to Aviano Air Base, Italy, are specially designed for close air support of ground forces./File Photo
Reuters: The Warthog and the senator: The politics of retiring a warplane
WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force is desperate to get rid of some of its fleet of expensive, slow and outdated A-10 Warthog airplanes, but politicians have blocked the move, aiming to keep the local dollars flowing.
President Joe Biden wants to retire dozens of the 40-year-old warplanes to free up funding to modernize the military. But within weeks of the release of his proposed defense budget, Democrats drafted a law to keep the planes, many of which are based in Arizona, where Senator Mark Kelly is up for re-election in 2022.
The negotiations over the A-10, which the Air Force has wanted to retire for more than two decades, show the extensive measures Democrats will take to protect their slim majority in the Senate.
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WNU Editor: Politics and the Pentagon have always walked hand-in-hand.
