The A-10 Thunderbolt II, endearingly referred to as the Warthog for its snubbed-nose design, is set for retirement in the 2015 budget as deep cuts to military funding will go into effect.
This planned retirement is deeply unpopular. The Warthog has a tried and true track record of providing close air support to ground troops. Critics of the retirement maintain that the Air Force is simply trying to retire the plane to make way for more exciting, but unproven, future aircraft like the F-35.
The Air Force says it has no choice but to retire the aging plane. It expects that retiring the total fleet of A-10s by 2020 will save an estimated $3.7 billion.
Still, the move is deeply unpopular with both policy-makers and soldiers.
The Warthog was first developed in the early 1970s by Fairchild Aviation with the sole aim of providing close air support against tanks and other armored structures for ground troops.
Central to the A-10's design is the GAU-8 Avenger, a 30 mm rotary cannon, which functions as the plane's main offensive weapon.
The rotary cannon uses depleted uranium rounds due to their extreme effectiveness at tearing through armor. These rounds also self-ignite when exposed to oxygen after hitting a target.
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