Senators McCain, Ayotte, Graham, and Chambliss have all signed a letter rebuffing the USAF's recent claims that the A-10 must be retired in order to provide enough maintainers for the struggling F-35 program. In addition, it is clear that a defense spending bill (NDAA) will not make it to the President's desk with the A-10's funding being omitted from the text.
Support for the A-10 among both parties has been growing throughout the year long plus congressional struggle with the USAF, which once again wishes to retire the highly effective attack jet. With Republicans taking control of both houses, and with key support outlined in the letter below, it will be almost impossible to retire the A-10 within the next two years. So all you 'flying pork' lovers, and all those soldiers who remain at risk in combat areas around the world, can breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer who maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com You can reach Tyler with story ideas or direct comments regarding this or any other defense topic via the email address Tyler@Jalopnik.com