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PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs

Release No. 100308
October 3,2008

A-10 Inspections Ordered


WASHINGTON - The Air Force has issued a TCTO (time compliance technical order) requiring immediate inspection and repair of wing cracks for a portion of the A-10 fleet. This action impacts approximately 130 A-10 aircraft with thin-skin wings installed during original manufacture and is being taken to ensure the continued operational safety of the aircraft.

Such action has become necessary due to an increase in fatigue-related wing cracks currently occurring in aircraft assigned to Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command and Air Force Materiel Command.

The inspections are a necessary step in addressing the risk associated with A-10 wing cracking - specifically with thin-skin wings. This risk is of great concern to the Air Force and is representative of a systemic problem for our aging Air Force fleet.

Taking immediate action is necessary for the safety of our aircrews and to bring our A-10 fleet back to health. Accordingly, AFMC is working closely with ACC and the other Combat Air Force major commands to address all of the thin-skinned winged A-10s with a priority focus being on the A-10s we currently have in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

The A-10 is a valuable asset to joint warfighters because of its unique capabilities. It can deliver precision guided weapons at high altitudes, as well as surgical close air support at low altitudes. The inspections, however, will not impact on-going or future operational combat missions.






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Whiteman 'Hawgsmoke' competition.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123118882

From AF Daily Report 10 Oct o8

The Show Must Goes On: Despite the ongoing wing inspections that have sidelined a portion of the Air Force's A-10 fleet, "Hawgsmoke 2008," a biennial A-10 bombing and gunnery competition, will take place as planned later this month, albeit with fewer participants. Air Force Reserve Command's 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo., is sponsoring the event from Oct. 15-18 in Salina, Kan. "After talking to most of the other A-10 wings in the Air Force, we have more than enough teams committed to competing at Hawgsmoke to continue with the event," said Col. Mark Clemons, 442nd FW commander. But they will just have to make due with fewer aircraft. Originally expected to include about 70 A-10s, the wing now anticipates that 25 to 30 airplanes will fly in the competition, along with as many as 14 teams of pilots. "We have plenty of aircraft to support Hawgsmoke and maintain the 442nd Fighter Wing's combat readiness," said Clemons. The Air Force issued a time-compliance technical order Oct. 3, requiring immediate inspection and repair of wing cracks on about 130 A-10s that have so-called thin wings that are more susceptible to structural fatigue than the comparatively thicker wings found on other A-10s. The A-10 fleet hovers around 350 airframes overall. (Whiteman report by Maj. David Kurle)

From AF Daily Report 13 Oct 08

Progressing "Safely" on A-10 Inspections: Air Combat Command has 56 of the 130 A-10 Warthogs undergoing special inspection for increased fatigue cracking, causing some concern about meeting requirements for US Central Command's ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan areas of responsibility. However, Maj. David Ruth, with the ACC A-10 Weapons System Team, maintains the command has "some capability within … the A-10 fleet to meet AOR commitments." There are some 350 A-10s service-wide, including those in training, test, and routine maintenance status. ACC's A-10 maintenance crews began their inspections early Oct. 3, the day USAF announced the new technical-compliance order, pulling the affected aircraft off the flying schedule, according to Lt. Col. David Trucksa, ACC chief of flight management. He added, "ACC maintainers will never provide an airplane to a pilot that is known to be unsafe; it will meet all safety standards." Air Force Material Command engineers have been analyzing fatigue testing data for years on the portion of USAF's A-10 fleet that have so-called thin-skin wings, Ruth said, noting that the program to begin replacing those wings begins in 2010 and will run through 2016. However, recent depot repair work showed a propensity for some of the aircraft to develop more critical cracks that must receive immediate repair. Once they identify a problem aircraft, ACC officials are working with AFMC experts to develop repair timelines based on the location, size, and orientation of the cracks. (ACC report by MSgt. Steven Goetsch

From AF Daily Report 20 Oct 08

Ring-Side Seat: The year-long planning that went into the just-concluded Hawgsmoke 2008, the biennial A-10 bombing and gunnery competition, included a provision for civilian spectators—news media and community leaders—to view the weapons portion of the event from a hilltop at the Kansas Air National Guard's 34,000-acre range near Salina. The competition, though downsized by the recent A-10 standdown order, offered the spectators a short-course in A-10 dynamics. Bank executive Rob Exline said: "The noise intrigues me more than anything. I can't imagine being on the receiving end. … It has absolutely lived up to my expectations." Competing in this year's event were airmen from 14 active-duty, ANG, and Air Force Reserve Command squadrons, who utilized 30 A-10s provided by the Air Guard and Reserve units. AFRC's 303rd Fighter Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Mo., hosted the 2008 competition after winning the 2006 Hawgsmoke. (Competition reports from MSgt. Bill Huntington Oct. 15 report and Oct. 14 report and SSgt. Kent Kagarise report)

From AF Daily Report 21 Oct 08

Idaho Air Guard Tops Hawgsmoke: The top team at Hawgsmoke 2008, flown out over the Smoky Hill Range near Salina, Kan., last week, is the 190th Fighter Squadron of the Idaho Air National Guard. Air Force Reserve Command's 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo., hosted the biennial A-10 bombing and gunnery competition, which featured 14 A-10 squadrons from active, Air Guard, and AFRC units around the country. The 50 pilots and some 400 maintenance and support airmen shared 30 Air Guard and AFRC A-10s because the on-going mandatory inspection of thin-skin wing A-10s reduced the number of available aircraft. According to event organizer Lt. Col. Brian Borgen, the choice of Salina couldn't have been better. He said, "The City of Salina and the people here have been absolutely outstanding in their support of Hawgsmoke." Competition planners provided visitors and journalists a prime viewing spot. As winner of the 2008 event, the 190th FS and its parent 124th Wing at Boise will host and select the location for the 2010 Hawgsmoke. (442nd FW report by Maj. David Kurle)

From AF Daily Report 15 Jan 09

A Change in Plans: Lingering concerns over wing cracks on some A-10s have caused the Air Force to modify its plans to send an A-10 unit to South Korea in March on a rotational deployment to relieve Army Apache attack helicopters there. Instead, the service will dispatch a contingent of 12 F-16s in their place, US Forces Korea said in a release Jan. 13. The decision to send the F-16s is "due to increased requirements for inspections and repairs to the A-10 fleet," USFK acknowledged. Remember, it was last October when the Air Force grounded a sizable portion of the A-10 fleet due to wing cracks on those airframes with comparatively thinner skinned wings. As of the end of last year, many of these A-10s had not been cleared to return to flight. Briefing reporters earlier this week, Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, commander of 12th Air Force and Air Forces Southern, said repairs on these A-10s should be complete by June. (AFPS report on his comments) USFK said the F-16s will arrive in South Korea before the Apaches depart to ensure "no gap in capability exists." USFK announced last November that the Apache unit, the 1-2 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, would re-station to Ft. Carson, Colo., as part of a realignment of US forces on the Korean peninsula. (For more, read this Stars and Stripes report.)

Wonder how many new A-10s you could build for the cost of one F/A-22 these days?

They would charge double. First to reopen the production line and second to shut it down again. Ran into that with the U-2R program.

LOL...true! Couldn't we just outsource the work to another country........