Robust and cheap: that’s why Ukraine hopes for old A-10 fighter jets

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“We really need this help,” said Ukrainian spy chief Kyrylo Budanov (38) in an interview with CNN. A “drastic increase” in the number of weapons is needed. Ukraine is currently fighting over weapons. “It is not so much the quality but the quantity” that plays a role. Because: Russia fights with weapons from North Korea, the quality of which is worse than that of Western weapons. But the high number poses a major threat to the Ukrainian army.

Budanov wants the American Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jet. “That is what can really help to inflict a military defeat on Russia,” he is convinced. The technology is old and the aircraft is about to be phased out. Nevertheless, it offers a huge opportunity against the Russian soldiers.

The A-10 is 16.26 meters long and has a wingspan of 17.42 meters. It flies to its ground target at a speed of 676 kilometers per hour. These could be, for example, armored vehicles or light naval attack aircraft.

Threat to the Russian Air Force

The A-10 has been the United States’ primary ground attack aircraft since 1975. The fighter jet is almost 50 years old. With a price of 9.8 million dollars (8.4 million francs), the plane is relatively cheap. The A-10 has proven to be particularly robust in Iraq and Afghanistan. The lifespan of the twin-engine jet aircraft is 10,000 flight hours. The A-10 also has the ability to carry and fire unguided missiles and guided missiles.

The big advantage of the old fighter jets: they are ground attack aircraft. The jets could cause enormous damage to the Russian air force. The aircraft is quickly ready for take-off and landing, can operate in all weather conditions and is very manoeuvrable.

Compromise for the US?

The US Air Force has long wanted to get rid of the ‘Warthogs’, as the A10 jets are also called, and make room for modern aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II – but the US Congress is standing in the way. The aircraft will remain in service until 2030.

Ukraine has been hoping for modern fighter jets such as the F-16 for months. But with delivery increasingly unlikely, the old “warthogs” could be a compromise the US is willing to make.

Source: Blick