Wait… wut? 🤔
I thought our fancy-schmancy F-35s were supposed to take over the A-10’s job!
Now don’t get me wrong… this is fantastic news! A bipartisan bill—the appropriately named BRRRRT Act—has been introduced to keep the legendary A-10 Warthog flying through 2033, or at least until there’s a certified replacement that can truly do its mission.
I’m sure there’s a healthy helping of politics mixed into this decision. There usually is. Somebody, somewhere, probably has a spreadsheet, a campaign promise, or a hometown Air Force base involved. But you know, that’s just how Washington works.
But here’s the thing…
This is exactly why I’ve never been completely sold on the F-35 philosophy. Every few years, defense planners try to convince us that the F-35 Lightning II can do everything. It can dogfight! It can drop stealth bombs! It can make espresso! It can probably file your taxes!
You see, when you design one airplane to do a little bit of everything—you know, like a multi-trillion-dollar Swiss Army knife stealth aircraft—you usually end up with a okay, kinda-sorta good aircraft.
When you design an airplane to do one thing exceptionally well, you end up with a legend!
Now, yeah… I know… the super smarty-pants at the Pentagon will continue to argue that the A-10 can’t survive in today’s sophisticated air-defense environment. And they’re not entirely wrong. I mean, if you’re sending it into heavily defended airspace on day one of a conflict, then that’s probably not a good idea.
But once the U.S. achieves air superiority—which we’ve become pretty darn good at doing—the whole battlefield changes. That’s where the Warthog shines. It’s not the opening act. It’s the headliner that comes on after the enemy’s air defenses have been shown the exit.
The F-35 is a masterpiece of sensor fusion, stealth, and cutting-edge technology. I genuinely admire what it can do… well, kinda sorta admire it… okay, not really. Yeah, I’m not a fan of the F-35.
But anyway…
When troops on the ground are pinned down and need close air support right now, they couldn’t care less about radar cross-sections, sensor fusion, or helmet-mounted displays that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie.
They want a low-flying, heavily armored flying tank that can loiter overhead for hours, shrug off small-arms fire like it’s being pelted with popcorn, and make a sound that can best be described as a giant zipper opening across the heavens.
BRRRRRRT!
The A-10 wasn’t built to win beauty contests. It wasn’t designed to sneak around looking all stealthy and mysterious. It was built around one gigantic 30mm GAU-8 Avenger cannon. In fact, the engineers basically designed an airplane around a gun and then asked, “Hey… where should we put the pilot?”
Its entire existence can basically be summarized as: “Dear enemy tank… your warranty has expired.”
BRRRRRRT!
The Warthog was created for close air support, and for nearly 50 years it has been doing exactly that. It flies low. It flies slow. It takes a beating. It protects the troops on the ground. And judging by how many times people have tried, and failed, to retire it, the old Hog has more extra lives than a cat with a military pension.
So here’s to the ugly duckling that became an aviation icon.
Long live the Warthog!
And may the glorious sound of BRRRRRRT! continue echoing across the skies for a few more years.
Cheers to the A-10! 🍻😎
Crock’s Thoughts 