Ukraine is close to receiving its first F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters, transferred by European air forces, but the military leadership is already eyeing another US military aircraft, the A-10 Thuderbolt II attack plane.
According to Reuters, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukrainian land forces, said the A-10 would be essential for supporting infantry and launching long-range cruise missiles.
“I would talk about A-10s as an option if they’ll be given to us… this is not a new machine, but a reliable one that has proven itself in many wars,” said Syrskyi.
Unlike the F-16, whose main mission should be to keep Russian aircraft away from Ukrainian territory, in addition to occasional attack missions, the A-10 can fly close to the battlefield as it flies at a low speed and is quite efficient in due to its titanium armor and firepower.
Warthog
Known as “Warthog”, the Farchild Republic aircraft was developed in the 1970s to replace an old piston aircraft, the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, used until around the Vietnam War.
Instead of supersonic speed and a sophisticated design, the A-10 was designed with unswept wings, engines on external struts in the tail formed by two vertical stabilizers.
But the project’s biggest challenge was using the largest cannon ever installed on an aircraft of this size, the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger.
The USAF received just over 700 aircraft over 12 years of production and the A-10 remained a valuable asset until recently.
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However, the Air Force has already begun its gradual retirement scheduled for 2029 some time ago, with around 270 jets currently remaining in service, according to World Air Forces 2024.
