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Close Air Support ‘a Mission, Not an Airplane,’ AFMC Commander Says

Close Air Support ‘a Mission, Not an Airplane,’ AFMC Commander Says
Operational test personnel from the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center conduct a ground check following the first field test of the LITENING Digital Port Plug-n-Play 3+ on the A-10 Thunderbolt II at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. on April 14. The PnP3+ is a visual display system that allows the pilot to see a high-definition picture of multiple targeting pod sensors on a tablet inside the A-10 (U.S. Air Force Photo)

Air Force Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr., the head of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), said on Sept. 21 that the Air Force remains committed to the close air support (CAS) mission, even as the service proposes the retirement of 42 A-10s in fiscal 2022. The Pentagon has classified a study that used 2018 and 2019 flight test data to compare the effectiveness of the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 and the A-10 for close air support, airborne forward air control, and…

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