A defense-policy bill approved by a key House committee early Thursday includes full funding for the A-10 Thunderbolt II jet and the EC-130H Compass Call jamming plane, major operations at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
The House Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act also would prompt a “fly-off” between the A-10 “Warthog,” which the Air Force has moved to retire, and the next-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter to compare the jets’ effectiveness at supporting ground troops. Any A-10 retirements would be blocked until the test was conducted.
In a news release, Rep. Martha McSally, a Tucson Republican and former A-10 combat pilot, called the fly-off “a crucial test that’s needed to ensure we are preserving capabilities to provide close air support and combat search and rescue.”
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The Air Force has said it will delay its original A-10 retirement plan by three years, to 2022, though some planes could be mothballed starting in 2018.