Bill would prompt 'fly-off' between A-10, F-35

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.

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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.”

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.