For years, Congress has thwarted the Air Force's attempts to retire the iconic A-10 Warthog, but that is about to change. The Air Force believes it will take at least three years for Boeing to start installing new hardware that resolves the “stiff boom” problem. Other services may dread the annual approach of November 10, but if this is any indication, the opinions of birthday detractors matter less than ever. Rules regarding how much money colleges could get from federal sources had been under scrutiny for years. Amid a high global demand for air power, as well as domestic hurdles in Congress and the White House, the service is racing to rebuild its fighter fleet. This exercise started in 2012 but has increased sevenfold in size and added major air platforms. A decision could come in the next six months, National Guard Chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson told Military Times. This could finally break a years-long impasse between the Air Force and Congress over the iconic attack plane. The section of the proposed NDAA that will be marked up Wednesday would also allow the Air Force to retire older C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The KC-46A Pegasus is also now cleared to refuel about 97% of the aircraft that fly on U.S. Transportation Command missions. Load More