Air Combat Command plans to declare initial operational capability for the modernized A-10 today during a ceremony at Langley AFB, Va. The “new” Warthog—the A-10C—has received “the most significant modifications” in the 30-year history of the A-10 close air support aircraft, according to an ACC announcement. The mods include full sensor integration to provide the Hogs the ability to identify and strike targets from a higher altitude and greater distance with no loss in accuracy and upgraded communications.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall doesn’t see great value in trying to break the Sentinel ICBM program off as a separate budget item the way the Navy has with its ballistic-missile submarine program, saying such a move wouldn’t create any new money for the Air Force to spend on other…