The Warthog, a soldier’s best friend; Obama, not so much

From Powerline Blog:

The Obama Pentagon proposes to do away with the A-10 Thunderbolt, also known, thanks to its appearance, as the Warthog.

This is a unique flying fighting machine. Protected by armor, it flies into combat zones at an altitude low enough for pilots to distinguish friend from foe. Foes become the target of a 30mm cannon that protrudes from front of the aircraft. Says one retired Air Force pilot, “we can kill everything on the battlefield; the full spectrum — tanks to troops.”

Developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s when helicopters were routinely being shot down in Vietnam, the A-10 has saved the lives of U.S. troops in war after war. In the first Persian Gulf War, it took out much of Iraq’s tanks, artillery, and missile sites. In Afghanistan it saved 90 coalition troops who were on the verge of being overrun by the Taliban. For this, the pilots received the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor.

Not surprisingly, troops love the Warthog. So does the brass. Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calls it “the ugliest, most beautiful aircraft on the planet.” Gen. John Campbell, the Army’s vice chief of staff, calls it a “game-changer.”

The Air Force defends its decision to do away with the A-10 on the grounds that, with the defense cuts that have been ordered, they have no real choice. That sounds implausible.

But it seems clear, given affection for the aircraft even among top brass, that if Obama’s cuts were less severe, “the best close-air support platform we have” (to quote Sen. Kelly Ayotte whose husband was an A-10 pilot) would not be on its way out.

When I was growing up, I wanted to fly fighters, the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, you know, be a fighter jock. Then, Operation Desert Shield occurred. The Iraqi and Russian Brass were shown something that the American Generals knew, how effective of a tank killer the A-10 was. Let's just say this, when the Iraqi tank commanders hear the engines of the A-10 close by, they abandon their tanks and run for their lives.

That is fear, and respect of that platform.

And the Dear Leader wants to kill it.