USAF to Inspect Its A-10s

USAF to Inspect Its A-10s (NSI News Source Info) October 4, 2008: The U.S. Air Force has ordered immediate inspection of about 130 A-10 combat attack aircraft due to fatigued, cracking wings. The order is to inspect 56 Air Combat Command (ACC), 42 Air National Guard, 18 reserve-owned and 11 Pacific Air Forces planes.

A-10 combat attack aircraft

The cracks are occurring on the center wing panel just aft of the main landing gear trunnion mount on both the right and left sides of the aircraft, ACC spokesperson Maj. Kristi Beckman said. The single-seat, twin-engine Thunderbolt II, affectionately known as the Warthog, is the only aircraft affected, Beckman said. The first 244 aircraft were built with "thin skin" on the wings, but Fairchild-Republic later determined that a stronger wing skin was needed if the planes were going to last longer. The remaining 112 aircraft were built with a thicker wing covering. "Taking immediate action is necessary for the safety of our aircrews and to bring our A-10 fleet back to health," the Air Force said via news release late Oct. 3. "Accordingly, [Air Force Material Command] is working closely with ACC and the other Combat Air Force major commands to address all of the thin-skinned winged A-10s, with a priority focus being on the A-10s we currently have in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility." The Warthog was originally manufactured by the now-defunct Fairchild-Republic and has been in service 1975. The Air Force has more than 350 of the planes. The Warthog has been used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan to provide close air support and to drop precision-guided weapons from high altitudes.