The Air Force’s Fiscal 2016 budget proposal once again attempts to divest the A-10 fleet, even though Congress has thus far adamantly refused to allow the service to do so. “During Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the A-10 aircraft accomplished only 20 percent of all [close air support] missions,” states a budget document released on Monday. “Additionally, the A-10 does not possess the necessary survivability to remain viable in anti-access environments.” Unlike previous budgets, however, the Fiscal 2016 budget proposes a phased end to the storied aircraft. The Air Force hopes to divest 164 A-10s in Fiscal 2016, including all 143 of the Active Duty component’s Warthogs and 21 of the Air National Guard’s aircraft. That would leave 64 A-10s in the ANG and 55 in Air Force Reserve Command. The Air Force would then keep these remaining A-10s “operational and available for deployment through 2019,” according to the document, the Air Force Fiscal 2016 Budget Overview (caution; large-sized file).
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
