Summary and Key Points: The A-10 Warthog, a venerable, close air support (CAS) aircraft introduced in the 1970s, has been a subject of debate regarding its retirement and potential replacement. The Embraer A-29 Super Tucano is a strong contender to replace the aging A-10.
-While the A-10 was effective in past counterinsurgency operations, it is not suitable for modern contested airspace against peer adversaries.
-The A-29, a tandem-seat turboprop aircraft, offers significant loiter time, multi-place cockpit advantages, and cost-effectiveness, making it a suitable replacement for low-intensity and counter-insurgency CAS missions.
With a vocal subset of fans and proponents, the A-10 Warthog is one of the most recognizable combat aircraft in the U.S. Air Force’s arsenal. Originally fielded in the 1970’s specifically as a close air support (CAS) platform, the A-10 has been the subject of fierce debate many times throughout its storied career - primarily around whether it should be retired and what should replace it.
One of the current iterations of this debate has detractors of the A-10 putting forward the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano as the next A-10. Can and should the A-29 replace the aging A-10?
During the Vietnam War, the service was forced to rely on the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, which proved to be too slow and vulnerable to ground fire to be a survivable platform. To fulfill the Air Force’s need for a more capable platform, the F-111 Aardvark and F-4 Phantom II were developed. Ultimately, the service developed a cheaper alternative based on these two airframes designed to be better suited at countering the USSR’s all-weather attack operations at the time.
The resulting A-X Thunderbolt II was truly a powerhouse in the skies. Nicknamed the “titanium bathtub,” the A-10 was capable of carrying out ground attacks targeting military assets and installations while also providing close air support for ground forces. Aviation buffs and military experts alike can agree that the Thunderbolt II represents one of the greatest close-air support jets to ever enter service as the aircraft could loiter and operate under 1,000 foot ceilings.
Despite the A-10’s effective role in America’s counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. no longer has large units of ground forces deployed in these theatres. Essentially, the A-10 is not necessary for modern battlefields.
The A-29 is a tandem seat, fully pressurized, turboprop aircraft built by Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. Based on the EMB-312 Tucano trainer aircraft, the Super Tucano boasts twin .50 cal machine guns mounted in each wing as well as five hardpoints for ground attack munitions. Additionally, it mounts a radar warning receiver as well as chaff and flare dispensers.
For a number of reasons, the A-29 is a more than suitable candidate to replace the A-10. The A-10 is not suited to operations in a contested airspace against a peer or near-peer adversary therefore its primary use is in low-intensity and counter-insurgency CAS. For those missions, the loiter time of the A-29 combined with its multi-place cockpit make it an ideal platform.
The longer the A-29 can remain on station, the longer it can support ground assets. Additionally, the value of having two aircrew to maintain situational awareness in a dynamic CAS environment cannot be understated.
Finally, the A-29 is far cheaper to acquire and operate, making it the ideal candidate to fill the ranks as the A-10 is phased out.
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.
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