The A-10 fighter jet will keep flying into the next decade. That’s the word from the Pentagon regarding the primary plane flown at Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
United States Defense Secretary Ash Carter previewed the Pentagon budget in a speech to the Economic Club in Washington D.C. That's when he announced the Air Force will keep the A-10 flying due to its effectiveness in the war against Islamic State fighters.
"The budget defers the A-10’s final retirement until 2022, replacing it with F-35 Joint Strike Fighters on a squadron by squadron basis so we will always have enough aircraft for today’s conflicts," Carter said.
Senator John McCain and Arizona U.S. Congresswoman Marth McSally both issued statements hailing the decision. Last year they led the fight to fund the A-10 over Pentagon attempts to ground the plane.