Bipartisan BRRRRT Act would force US Air Force to keep at least 126 A-10 Warthogs

Published Jul 22, 09:10 PM UTC

A bipartisan House bill, H.R. 9780, dubbed the BRRRRT Act, was introduced by Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) and co-led by Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) to force the U.S. Air Force to maintain at least 126 A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs, significantly more than the service's planned floor of 103. The bill would require the Air Force to reverse closures of the A-10 maintenance depot at Hill Air Force Base, the pilot training pipeline, and the Weapons School course, all of which were cut in anticipation of fleet retirement. It comes as the Air Force has ramped up A-10 divestment without identifying a certified replacement for its close air support and combat search and rescue missions. The bill also makes retiring additional A-10s harder by requiring the defense secretary to certify a fully operational replacement, with written concurrence from the Army, Marine Corps, and SOCOM. If the bill fails, its provisions could be inserted into the annual defense authorization act, continuing a long-standing congressional battle to preserve the Warthog.