Air Force could ground more than 100 A-10s as early as FY18 as life of wings runs out

Defense News: NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Air Force may be forced to ground a portion of its A-10 Warthog squadrons as early as fiscal year 2018, as their wings age out before replacements can be provided, the head of Air Force Materiel Command said Wednesday.

Although the service plans to keep the majority of its A-10 fleet into the forseeable future, leaders have acknowledged that it will be forced to retire three Warthog squadrons unless it is given money for new wings. Currently, 109 out of 281 A-10s need their wings replaced to extend their lives to 16,000 flight hours.

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