A-10C: The Only Aircraft Expressly Designed to Protect Soldiers on the Ground
Stop All Cuts to Air National Guard Missions and Manpower until the Congressional Value Study, from the Guard Empowerment Act, is complete. Ask Air Force Leadership, why cut Air Force capabilities to make budget when you can move missions and manpower into the National Guard to make budget, preserve capabilities, and make the Air Force Stronger than ever!
Superior Capability: A-10s can destroy 14+ military targets on the battlefield and operate in rugged conditions, with battle damage, and from austere airfields. That’s 5 X the targets that can be less effectively engaged by the F-35 or MQ-9 Reaper who are unable to operate under harsh atmospheric conditions.
Fuel Savings: A-10s, the #1 requested aircraft in every combat zone, currently provide 24 hour CAS coverage for the soldiers on the ground and the Combatant Commander using 1/5 the fuel of the F-15E Strike Eagle or B-1 Bomber platforms.
5 x the Combat Capability at less than 1/5 the Cost: Total program unit cost for an A-10 is $18.8 million in 2012 dollars. A-10s are less than 1/5 the cost of the F-35 or MQ-9 Reaper aircraft programmed to them. F-35 price-per-plane is at $135 million. Wheeler, the director of the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information in Washington opposes the rumor that Reaper aircraft are $5 Million, “The actual cost for a Reaper unit including air vehicles and ground components is $120.8 Million in 2012 dollars.” The operating cost for an A-10C for 1 year is $5.5 million compared to the Reaper at $20.4 million per CAP. The F-35 operating costs with low observable skin are beyond measure at this point. The A-10
Homeland Defense: A Wing of A-10C Warthog aircraft come with benefits for the Governor and community surrounding the National Guard Base. Each Fighter Wing comes with a Mission Support Group that is chocked full of highly trained manpower with equipment to help the community in the event of a Natural Disaster or Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear Terrorist Event. A-10s guarantee that no ground or maritime force will successfully roll into America as it stands ready protects our border through 2028.
National Strategy Fit: The A-10C Warthog provides the best capability for any infantryman on the ground anywhere on the planet. A-10C pilots and aircraft are highly sought after by Combatant Commanders, Ground Commanders, and Special Operations Teams for their extreme level of expertise and precision when delivering unmatched firepower on demand while eliminating civilian casualties. The flexibility of the A-10C 30MM Gatlin gun, which is still the only way to destroy multiple tanks on the battlefield, has been highlighted recently as the best platform in the inventory for all weather maritime attack. The ALQ-213 Self-Protection system has proven that with low cost, existing technology, upgrades the A-10 is fully capable of operating in current and future radar threat environments unharmed.