A-10 Warthog possible future

[F.L.]

Is it possible that well-preserved A-10 airframes with little hours could be exported to South America as a replacement for the A-37B ?
Has this ever been considered ?
Could the A-10 be used for anti-drug operations like the Peruvians Su-25 ?

 

[jstar]

Behind a Wall Street Journal subscribers only wall, but A-10's are going to the Mid East in April.

WSJ News Exclusive | U.S. to Send Aging Attack Planes to Mideast and Shift Newer Jets to Asia, Europe

As a stretched military moves toward a “Great Power” competition with China and Russia, it is looking to avoid a shortfall in Middle East.

www.wsj.com

 

[F.L.]

Behind a Wall Street Journal subscribers only wall, but A-10's are going to the Mid East in April.

WSJ News Exclusive | U.S. to Send Aging Attack Planes to Mideast and Shift Newer Jets to Asia, Europe

As a stretched military moves toward a “Great Power” competition with China and Russia, it is looking to avoid a shortfall in Middle East.

www.wsj.com

Are they to be deployed by the USAF or given to the local air forces ?

 

[SSgtC]

Behind a Wall Street Journal subscribers only wall, but A-10's are going to the Mid East in April.

WSJ News Exclusive | U.S. to Send Aging Attack Planes to Mideast and Shift Newer Jets to Asia, Europe

As a stretched military moves toward a “Great Power” competition with China and Russia, it is looking to avoid a shortfall in Middle East.

www.wsj.com

Are they to be deployed by the USAF or given to the local air forces ?

Deployed. The USAF has no current plans to sell off their fleet of A-10s (though they would dearly love to retire them).

As for your idea, yeah it's certainly possible that they could. They're cheaper to operate than a lot of other "modern" aircraft. The problem is, they're a single mission airframe. Most Air Forces at least want the ability to conduct interceptions to identify aircraft and/or respond to airborne threats. The Hog just flat can't do that. They'd probably be better off getting second/third hand F-16s or new Korean F/A-50s.

 

[F.L.]

Behind a Wall Street Journal subscribers only wall, but A-10's are going to the Mid East in April.

WSJ News Exclusive | U.S. to Send Aging Attack Planes to Mideast and Shift Newer Jets to Asia, Europe

As a stretched military moves toward a “Great Power” competition with China and Russia, it is looking to avoid a shortfall in Middle East.

www.wsj.com

Are they to be deployed by the USAF or given to the local air forces ?

The Hog just flat can't do that. They'd probably be better off getting second/third hand F-16s or new Korean F/A-50s.

Nevertheless, the Su-25, the equivalent of the Hog, is used by the Peruvians in the role of anti-drug fight, in particular for the interceptions of drug planes armed with R-60s.
& I believe that for many South American forces, having a low-cost, but effective, replacement for the A-37B will soon be an urgent need.
The A-10 could be the best replacement for countries currently engaged in counter-narcotics, and for which the capabilities of the EMB-314 would be insufficient.

 

[SSgtC]

Nevertheless, the Su-25, the equivalent of the Hog, is used by the Peruvians in the role of anti-drug fight, in particular for the interceptions of drug planes armed with R-60s.
& I believe that for many South American forces, having a low-cost, but effective, replacement for the A-37B will soon be an urgent need.
The A-10 could be the best replacement for countries currently engaged in counter-narcotics, and for which the capabilities of the EMB-314 would be insufficient.

Thing is, the A-10 is only cheap to operate when compared to other front line 4th Gen+ aircraft. Most South American countries operate aircraft like the A-37, which can charitably be called obsolete, because that's all they can afford. Even as cheap as the Warthog is to fly, it still costs some $22,500 per flight hour to operate. A plane like the Super Tucano costs under $2,000 per flight hour. Replacing planes like the A-37 isn't just a matter of finding something with an "A" designation and swapping them out. The budget rules all

 

[Nik]

Could those South American countries afford the A-10's ammunition, never mind the plane ??

Um, are there any records of A-10 taking down fixed-wing rather than rotary aircraft ??

 

[SSgtC]

Um, are there any records of A-10 taking down fixed-wing rather than rotary aircraft ??

Not that I'm aware of, though it does have the ability to carry and launch Sidewinders. So it is at least theoretically possible for it to do so if it's in the right position

 

[F.L.]

Could those South American countries afford the A-10's ammunition, never mind the plane ??

The South American air force should not be underestimated.
Concerning the ammunition, many countries there use precision guided ammunition. Colombia in particular uses GBU-12 Paveway IIs on its A-37Bs.
But when it comes to price, @SSgtC is right

Even as cheap as the Warthog is to fly, it still costs some $22,500 per flight hour to operate. A plane like the Super Tucano costs under $2,000 per flight hour. The budget rules all.

 

[F.L.]

Most South American countries operate aircraft like the A-37, which can charitably be called obsolete, because that's all they can afford.

The A-10 is not a new airplane. & the South Americans are the kings of modernization and second hand.
That's where my idea that they might be interested by the A-10 comes from.

 

[SSgtC]

Most South American countries operate aircraft like the A-37, which can charitably be called obsolete, because that's all they can afford.

The A-10 is not a new airplane. & the South Americans are the kings of modernization and second hand.
That's where my idea that they might be interested by the A-10 comes from.

The A-10, in its current incarnation, has already been heavily modernized. But that doesn't change that the aircraft is still relatively expensive to operate and, at this point in their lives, lifetime limited

 

[Colonial-Marine]

I don't know what state their engines are in but with the wing replacement and other airframe refurbishment I thought the rest of the plane was supposed to be good out till 2038 theoretically.

 

[kaiserd]

Anyone that wants an inexpensive cheap to operate ground attack aircraft will likely go the turboprop route (primarily the Embraer A-29, which has been successful in Central and South America, including replacing A-37s in a number of instances).

Or they want a multi-role type, like Gripens, F-16s etc. These types are more role flexible and can provide import basic tasks like air defence, while self escorting and being more survivable in the strike role.

In some cases operators have selected a mixture of the 2.

Almost all A-37s have already been replaced by one or some combination of these 2 classes of aircraft (in particular the A-29 has been successful in this regard).

In that context why would any of these countries take on the cost and complexity of operating well worn (though updated) A-10s.
A-10 advocates have long overestimated the appeal of the A10 to any potential operators outside the US. For many reasons no one outside US has selected to buy the A-10 and arguably any of the pro’s for doing so have arguably weakened over time.

 

[uk 75]

The A10 was a highly specialised tank and other vehicle killer. The combination of its gun and Maverick missiles was tailored to this role.
South Korea, which faces a threat similar to West Germany in the 80s and Kuwait in 1991 has often been touted as a possible recipient. So far Seoul has resisted the temptation.
Israel which might have found a use for A10s against Syrian forces has also avoided it.

 

[Colonial-Marine]

Did West Germany ever express an interest? They seemed willing to use significantly more vulnerable aircraft in an attack role like the Alphajet.

 

[jsport]

The Air Force said the exercise, which involved various South Korean fighter jets and at least one U.S. A-10 attack plane, was aimed at verifying precision strike capabilities and reaffirming the credibility of Seoul’s “three-axis” strategy against North Korean nuclear threats — preemptively striking sources of attacks, intercepting incoming missiles, and neutralizing the North’s leadership and key military facilities.

See North Korea’s alleged ‘radioactive tsunami’ weapon test at sea

The North has fired more than 20 ballistic and cruise missiles across 10 launch events this year as it tries to diversify its delivery systems.

www.defensenews.com

 

[GTX]

Did West Germany ever express an interest? They seemed willing to use significantly more vulnerable aircraft in an attack role like the Alphajet.

Not as far as I am aware.

 

[von hitchofen]

I think the A-10 will need fighter escort where ever it gets exported to.

 

[Desertfox]

If you wanted a jet vs prop driven A-37 replacement, it would likely be alot cheaper to get a used L-159 or a new Textron Scorpion than a used A-10.

 

[von hitchofen]

If you wanted a jet vs prop driven A-37 replacement, it would likely be alot cheaper to get a used L-159 or a new Textron Scorpion than a used A-10.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more takers for the Textron Scorpion.

 

[SSgtC]

If you wanted a jet vs prop driven A-37 replacement, it would likely be alot cheaper to get a used L-159 or a new Textron Scorpion than a used A-10.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more takers for the Textron Scorpion.

Short answer: the plane is an orphan. Why would anyone buy it when it's own country's air force won't?

 

[Tonton-42]

Réponse courte : l'avion est orphelin. Pourquoi quelqu'un l'achèterait-il alors que l'armée de l'air de son propre pays ne le ferait pas ?