I’ve seen a few posts in the past where people have argued that the A-10 Warthog would be a good CAS aircraft for different foreign air forces..till now that seemed to be just pipe dreams, with no A-10s having ever been exported. I’m not aware if they were ever offered for export, maybe they weren’t, but with the A-10 facing cuts in the USAF, it does seem like Boeing may have found a way to keep the A-10 going for a couple more decades, if they do find an international customer.
So which foreign nations would be possible A-10 customers? And how relevant is the CAS role that the A-10 performs in today’s battle space with advanced SAMs and MANPADS?
Boeing discussion international A-10 Warthog sales
Source: Flightglobal.com
Boeing has floated the idea of selling refurbished A-10 Warthogs to other nations as the US Air Force seeks to retire the venerable attack airplane.
The company is currently extending the service life of the air force’s A-10 fleet through a re-winging programme, and it recently delivered its 100th modification with more than 70 modifications left on contract.
At a Boeing-sponsored media event in San Antonio, Texas, today, the company’s chief engineer of off-Boeing programmes, Paul Cejas, suggested the US government might pursue international sales of upgraded A-10s. Dozens of A-10s are currently in near-flyaway storage at the air force’s boneyard facility in Arizona, and could be brought back into the operational fleet at any time.
Cejas says he has no exact customers in mind, but Boeing has “begun early discusssions.”
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May 21, 2015 at 6:37 am