Ayotte Statement in Response to Air Force Officials' Comments on A-10 Capabilities

Press Release

In response to recent comments made by Air Force officials regarding the capabilities of the A-10, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) released the following statement:

"Despite the fact that Congress has expressed strong bipartisan, bicameral opposition to the Air Force's misguided effort to prematurely retire the A-10, some Air Force officials continue to make arguments in favor of retiring the A-10 that do not withstand scrutiny.

"While it's true that there are some very high threat air defense environments that would be dangerous for the A-10, the same is true for almost all Department of Defense aircraft-including the F-15, F-16, and B-1. But when it comes to close air support missions in which American forces are in immediate danger and a CAS aircraft must fly relatively low and slow and within visual contact of friendly and enemy forces, there is no aircraft currently in America's arsenal that is more survivable than the A-10. The A-10 was designed with survivability in mind, and the Air Force has invested significant resources in recent years improving the A-10's battlefield survivability even further.

"It is worth noting that the SU-25 "Frogfoot"-the inferior Russian version of the A-10-was recently sent to Iraq to battle ISIL forces there. Evidently, the Iraqis believe such a CAS-focused aircraft can operate effectively against the ISIL forces that are operating in Syria and Iraq.

"I appreciate the difficult budget environment the Air Force confronts, but it's important that the debate going forward be based on facts rather than arguments that do not hold water."

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