An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 74th Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia flies over Afghanistan in this 2011 photo. The Pentagon plans to retire 44 A-10s in fiscal 2021, which has put some Arizona lawmakers on alert.
Master Sgt. William Greer/U.S. Air Force
Six Democratic members of Arizona’s congressional delegation say they oppose a provision in President Joe Biden’s proposed budget to partially retire the Air Force’s A-10 attack jets, many of which are based in Tucson.
Delegation members releasing statements of support Friday for keeping A-10s in active service included Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema and Representatives Ann Kirkpatrick, Ruben Gallego, Tom O’Halleran and Greg Stanton.
Supporters of the A-10 over the years have successfully headed off the Air Force’s periodic efforts to retire the Cold War-era aircraft for budget reasons.
The A-10 is valued by supporters for its ability to support ground combat forces.
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