Some of the Air Force’s A-10 Warthogs are developing cracks that will be expensive to repair, leading USAF to scale back its plans to upgrade the fleet, said ACC chief Keys. The problem Hogs were made with “thin skins,” explained Keys. He was not prepared to say how many aircraft are affected or what repairs will cost. ACC had been upgrading the A-10 fleet with a package of precision engagement upgrades. It will have to reduce the number that get that upgrade and possibly forego a desired re-engining just to pay to fix some of the “thin skin” airframes. Keys admitted he’s frustrated but not surprised about the problem. “Old airplanes will always find a way to break in new ways,” he said.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
