New wings for the US Air Force Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet is under review as the service considers expanding an upgrade programme to keep the attack aircraft flying until 2028.
The air force on 1 September issued a request for information (RFI) to "gather comments and potential sources for production of 200 new wing assemblies. The benefits of having replacement structural assemblies is to mitigate the increasing inspection and repair costs necessary to maintain aging structural items," the RFI says. Replacing the existing wing assemblies could reduce operating costs and increase availability rates, it adds, noting that the A-10's planned service life has been doubled to 16,000 flight hours.
If the RFI leads to a new requirement, it will be the latest in a string of recent upgrade programmes for the A-10, which until this year had been considered likely for early retirement.
The A-10 fleet is the focus of a precision engagement programme, which will enable the close air-support aircraft to carry the Northrop Grumman Litening II/AT or Lockheed Martin Sniper XR targeting pods, plus precision-guided weapons such as the Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition and Lockheed Martin Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser (Flight International, 30 March-5 April).
Top USAF officials introduced a proposal in February to eventually fund a re-engining programme for the A-10 fleet, although full details were not disclosed. The aircraft's abilities to support ground troops in Iraq have been cited for the renewed interest by senior air force leaders.
Source: Flight International
