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| US Air Force Upgrade A-10 'Super Warthog' |
Washington - The US firmly rejected the request of Ukraine who wanted the F-16. There are many factors that prevent this from happening. Starting from the US which avoids confrontation with Russia to Ukraine which is indeed 'unsuitable' to operate modern fighter jets such as the F-16.
Despite this, the Biden administration still announced an additional $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine. It then consists of rockets, ammunition, and weapons from the US Department of Defense inventory.
The aid includes additional HIMARS which have wreaked havoc on the Russian position. "Now they refuse to supply F-16s, for the time being," said Russian military analyst Alexei Leonkov, referring to the fighter jets that Ukraine requested.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, officials from the US Air Force stated that talks have begun. This includes granting Ukraine access to Western aircraft such as the older A 10 Warthog. The US Air Force is seen making special efforts to keep the A-10 aircraft relevant.
The A-10 Warthog was developed to destroy Soviet tank lines. Currently, the A-10 is in ongoing modification work covering various initiatives.
This is like integrating new arsenals and weaponry and creating tactics to allow the A-10 to accompany contemporary fifth-generation fighters, such as the F-35.
Quoted from 19fortyfive.com, there is a Super Warthog program officially dubbed the A-10 Common Fleet Initiative. The program is intended to maintain the Warthog until sometime in the 2030s.
Most notable among the improvements in terms of countering enemy air defenses is the addition of the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) which has a range of over 60 miles.
Another new arrow in the Super Hog's quiver is BAE's AGR-20A Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System. Where it "tricks" 2.75-inch (70mm) unguided rockets, but even allows the A-10 to carry out maritime strike missions.