A-10 to Ukraine? Is the Famous A-10 Warthog Obsolete Due to New Anti-Aircraft Weapons?

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The US Military, ground solider and Congressional reverence for the A-10 Warthog seems to have no limits, as the merits of the live-saving Close Air Support aircraft have not only been well documented, but made famous by pilots and combat performance. 

There is little question that the “flying tank” with a titanium hull can absorb ground fire and fly on despite being damaged.  Warrior once spoke with a famous Gulf War pilot who flew home alive in an A-10 with only one wing. The plane functioned and got home in what could be called a small miracle. The pilot survived. 

The lobby and support for the A-10 seems to have no bounds, yet the Air Force has for many years now wanted to “phase out” the A-10 in favor of high-speed fixed wing aircraft such as the F-35 for the CAS mission. Why?  Can an F-35 absorb small arms fire and fly slow and low in close proximity to ground troops to attack the enemy? Perhaps it would not have to to exact a massively effective CAS mission. 

One reason why the Air Force might have been embracing this idea is because the advent of newer anti-aircraft weapons may render the A-10 less effective? 

Should the A-10 go to Ukraine or would it be unnecessarily vulnerable to advanced anti-aircraft weapons? 

A-10 Vulnerable? 

It is not clear how many “stinger-like” shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons Russian forces may have, and A-10 can fly slow and low in close proximity to specific ground fight areas.

This means an A-10 might have the ability to attack in areas that are difficult to reach by longer-range air defenses, such as those that are too far away, or over close-in fighting.