5 A-10 Squadrons to be cut

[MikeD]

Could you imagine having gone O-2s to C-5s like NY did? Thats one heck of a change!

 

[Hacker15e]

It's always been a bastard child within the AF and was initially procured to kill the Army's Blackhawk attack helicopter program.

There were a lot of politics that surrounded the A-X program that beget the A-10, but it was definitely not "procured to kill" the Blackhawk.

What did happen, though, was that the Army and AF were engaged in the roles-and-missions debate post-Vietnam. Congress made the decision that the AF was going to be responsible for CAS. The 2nd order effect of that decision was that A-X was funded and the Cheyenne program wasn't. The utility helo program that eventually bought the Blackhawk wasn't even a player.

It's popular for the Hog crowd to hang themselves up on the cross with the "bastard child" argument, which was true during the pre-Desert Storm TAC days, but certainly hasn't been that way for the last 15 years or so. It's as much of a "bastard child" as any other USAF aircraft that isn't a Raptor or a Pred.

 

[Blackhawk]

There were a lot of politics that surrounded the A-X program that beget the A-10, but it was definitely not "procured to kill" the Blackhawk.

What did happen, though, was that the Army and AF were engaged in the roles-and-missions debate post-Vietnam. Congress made the decision that the AF was going to be responsible for CAS. The 2nd order effect of that decision was that A-X was funded and the Cheyenne program wasn't. The utility helo program that eventually bought the Blackhawk wasn't even a player.

It's popular for the Hog crowd to hang themselves up on the cross with the "bastard child" argument, which was true during the pre-Desert Storm TAC days, but certainly hasn't been that way for the last 15 years or so. It's as much of a "bastard child" as any other USAF aircraft that isn't a Raptor or a Pred.

I was not talking about the Blackhawk UH program but the Blackahwk S67 program developed about the same time as the Cheyenne.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_S-67_Blackhawk
A10 has probably been on the chopping block more than any other airframe and I've been around long enough to remember the iterations.
Prior to the Gulf War talk about killing it or turning it into an O- platform. I remember the first OAs- or whatever they were called- arriving in Korea.
Post Gulf War another push to kill the A-10 so- surprise- the Air Force could procure more F- airframes. (BTW what IS this fascination with the F- designator. I mean F-117... really???).
Every time the A-10 goes on the chopping block the Army screams about CAS and the Air Force usually extracts their pound of flesh and backs off. This one won't hurt as bad as the Air Force C-27 hose job they pulled on the Army but I'm sure it will be painful.

 

[MikeD]

Change the doctrine and give the CAS mission to the Army. Let them do their own like the USMC does. And the AF can focus on airlift, strategic bombers, ICBMs, space, tankers, Air Interdiction, and Counter Air.

 

[Blackhawk]

http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/alerts/national-security/ns-a10-20030604.html
http://www.pogoarchives.org/m/dp/dp-2003-A-10emails.pdf

 

[granlistillo]

Change the doctrine and give the CAS mission to the Army. Let them do their own like the USMC does. And the AF can focus on airlift, strategic bombers, ICBMs, space, tankers, Air Interdiction, and Counter Air.

Space, UAV, and Cyberspace seem to be the craze. Seems all the other stuff is so passe.

 

[The Fez]

Change the doctrine and give the CAS mission to the Army. Let them do their own like the USMC does. And the AF can focus on airlift, strategic bombers, ICBMs, space, tankers, Air Interdiction, and Counter Air.

Um, you forgot CSAR.....of course....people have to know that the AF has helicopters first. I get the feeling my future will be sitting just a few feet to the left of where I sat a few years ago in the dark, cold, 1' AGL box that is the UAV "cockpit."

Just when I thought I was out, and they pull me back in!

 

[MikeD]

For the Active duty A-10s, I can see one of the DM training units closing. The Reserve one, my bet is likely Barksdale. The ANG ones are going to be interesting, as there are units that just lost their F-16s and converted to A-10s in the last BRAC, namely Fort Wayne, Fort Smith, and Selfridge.

4 out of 5 picks on my part isn't bad betting, assuming of course that this can't be reversed.......

It appears the selected units are:

Active duty:
81st Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany (USAFE)

Air Force Reserve (AFRES)
47th Fighter Squadron, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana

Air National Guard (ANG):
122nd Fighter Wing, Indiana ANG, Fort Wayne
188th Fighter Wing, Arkansas ANG, Fort Smith
127th Fighter Wing, Michigan ANG, Selfridge ANGB, Detroit

 

[MikeD]

Is Sen Mark Pryor (D-Ark) smoking crack? He wants to keep the unit's A-10s, add a mission to his unit with the Predator drones, and get the F-35? In the era of budget cuts? Sorry ANG....it's your turn to take some pain. You want "total force" and to be treated on par with active duty, that goes both ways: the good deals, and the bad deals.

I'll have what he's smoking........

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said Wednesday that the Air Force should expand Fort Smith’s 188th Fighter Wing mission to keep the “Flying Razorbacks” and add unmanned drones.

In its 2013 budget request, the Air Force has proposed replacing the A-10 mission with one that would operate Predator/Reaper drones.

While the entire Arkansas delegation is focused on saving the A-10, Pryor suggested Wednesday that the choice doesn’t have to be between the two missions.

“I don’t want to sound greedy, but we want both,” Pryor said on a conference call with Arkansas reporters. “We can totally justify why both should be there.”

Fort Smith provides an ideal setting for both missions given its proximity to the Fort Chaffee training facility and dedicated military air space over the Ozarks, Pryor said.

“We could and should do both for all the same reasons that the A-10 makes sense,” Pryor said.

Kevin Wear, chairman of the 188th Steering Committee, agreed that the Air Force should be adding missions to Fort Smith given its unique assets.

“If decisions were being made based on objective and transparent criteria, I believe the Air Force would be looking at expanding the missions there as well as having a definite eye on the 188th as a future home to the [F-35] Joint Strike Fighter,” Wear said.

As to the battle for the A-10, Wear said the Steering Committee is cautiously optimistic that the Arkansas delegation will succeed in sending Air Force planners “back to the drawing board.”

The Arkansas congressional delegation on Wednesday sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta seeking more details into the decision making process behind removing the A-10 “Flying Razorbacks” from Fort Smith.

In the letter, the delegation stressed that members have “serious concerns” regarding the criteria the Air Force used to reach its decision.

Pryor, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Reps. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, Steve Womack, R-Rogers, Tim Griffin, R-Little Rock, and Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, signed the letter. The letter requests a response by March 12.

Womack, whose district includes Fort Smith, also wrote a separate letter to Panetta, noting the 188th “outperforms in all major objective categories, and it is one of the most-cost-effective flying units in the Air Force.”

Womack stated that the Air National Guard represents 21 percent of the total Air Force, but 59 percent of the aircraft cuts in the 2013 plan.

“The excessive nature of these cuts to the Air National Guard — not just the 188th Fighter Wing — doesn’t make sense,” Womack’s letter states.

Aside from voicing their concerns with the Pentagon, Pryor said, the delegation is reaching out to their colleagues to impress on them the value of keeping the A-10 mission in Fort Smith, where the 188th Fighter Wing has proven to be the most cost-effective and best trained.

“I think we have some very good arguments on why the 188th should stay right were it is. Truth is on our side,” he said.

But Pryor cautioned that saving the mission remains a difficult task given the short time period for rallying support. Congressional leaders are hoping to complete 2013 appropriations bills before the end of September.
“We have a fairly short time frame here because this is a budget matter. We need to deal with this in the next two or three months, so the pressure is on,” Pryor said.

The 188th is currently authorized about 1,000 airmen, with a full-time staff of about 350 and 21 assigned A-10 aircraft.

On Tuesday, the Arkansas state Senate passed Senate Resolution 1 by Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, which asks the U.S. Department of the Air Force, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Guard Bureau to keep the 188th in Fort Smith. Also Tuesday, the Fort Smith Airport Commission adopted a resolution supporting the 188th.

Story here:

http://www.swtimes.com/sections/news/arkansas-delegation-questions-plan-188th-drones.html

 

[RDoug]

And it's not even an election year for Senator Pryor.