Work keeps A-10s in air until new wings arrive - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Work keeps A-10s in air until new wings arrive

For the A-10 Thunderbolt II, it’s “Hog Up” again. That’s “upgrade,” for anyone not familiar with Warthog-speak.

The Air Force’s oldest — and most formidable — close-air support plane is getting a fix to keep it flying until its new wings are ready in a couple of years.

Airmen from the 309th Maintenance Wing’s Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and Hill Air Force Base, Utah, are installing steel straps and stronger fittings to the Thunderbolt’s wings.

“This is an interim fix to keep the A-10s flying while the new wings are being built,” Daryl Neel, the 309th AMARG center wing shop supervisor, said in a statement.

The new wings will beef up the Warthog’s structure and give it another 20 years in the air, according to Dave Roe, a structural engineer with the 309th AMARG.

“The modifications we’re giving the wing will double its service life and allow it to carry the additional load the wings are expected to carry,” Mr. Roe said.

A contract awarded in 2007 to the Boeing calls for 242 new wings to be installed on original A-10 airframes by 2011. About 100 A-10s built in the 1980s are sturdier and don’t need new wings.

The Warthog will keep flying until about 2030, when it is scheduled to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II, the next-generation multirole fighter.

A twin-engine jet with a range of 800 miles, the A-10 is a favorite of ground troops because of its ability to fly low and slow to attack targets with its 30mm cannon.

“Nothing else in our inventory can do the job the A-10 can do, especially in close-[air] support,” Roe said. “It also has a long loiter time over friendlies or over the target if necessary.”