- The BRRRRT Act seeks to keep at least 126 A-10s operational
- Iran’s operations reignite debate over the A-10’s military future
- Future A-10 retirements face more stringent certification requirements under new legislation
A proposed House bill would require the U.S. Air Force to retain at least 126 A-10 Thunderbolt II warthogs, reversing plans to retire a large portion of the nearly 50-year-old attack aircraft fleet.
The legislation follows renewed attention on the aircraft following its reported involvement in operations related to the recent Iran confrontation, including combat search and rescue missions in support of downed F-15E aircrews.
Lawmakers who support the proposal argue that the plane must remain in service until a fully operational replacement has been certified for every mission it currently performs.
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Lawmakers are pushing to preserve the A-10 fleet
The legislation, officially titled the Bolstering Recognition, Resurgence, Retention, and Remembrance of the Thunderbolt Act, uses the acronym BRRRRT.
Introduced as HR 9780 by Rep. Abe Hamadeh, the law takes its name from the distinctive sound produced by the A-10’s 30 mm Gatling gun during firing.
“The A-10 has repeatedly proven itself on the battlefield, saving American lives and providing unparalleled close air support when our troops need it most,” Hamadeh said.
“The BRRRRT Act ensures that we do not retire a proven weapon system until a certified replacement is found.”
The proposal marks another chapter in a long-running disagreement between Congress and the Air Force over the future of the Warthog fleet and its specialized missions.
The Air Force entered fiscal year 2026 with 162 A-10 aircraft and sought authority to retire the entire fleet.
However, Congress rejected this proposal and instead required the service to retain at least 103 aircraft.
The BRRRRT Act would raise the minimum inventory to 126 aircraft, requiring the Air Force to halt planned retirements and reclaim additional warthogs from storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
After recent operational use, the Air Force announced that A-10 squadrons at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia would remain active through 2029.
The service also plans to keep Warthogs flying from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri through 2030, leaving approximately 54 aircraft assigned to three operational squadrons.
Bill sets tougher conditions for future A-10 retirements
The legislation would give the Air Force 90 days after passage to explain how maintenance, upkeep, pilot training, flight testing and depot operations would be restored.
Previous retirement preparations already included closing the depot maintenance line at Hill Air Force Base in February and ending the final training class for new A-10 pilots in April.
The weapons training course at Nellis Air Force Base is also winding down as the service continued to prepare for the aircraft’s planned retirement.
The proposal would also make further retirements more difficult by requiring the Secretary of Defense to certify that a replacement aircraft has entered full operational service.
This certification would also require written approval from the Secretary of the Army, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the head of US Special Operations Command.
The bill also states that assigning another aircraft the close air support mission as a secondary responsibility does not qualify as a replacement.
If the BRRRRT Act does not become law, similar language could still appear in annual defense authorization legislation that previously set a minimum of 103 aircraft.
The Air Force maintains that the F-35A, F-15E and F-16 will eventually take over the A-10’s close air support and combat search and rescue missions.
Proponents of the BRRRRT Act argue that these aircraft have yet to replace any specialized capability performed by the Warthog.
Via Military Times
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