US Troops Face Future Without Adequate Air Support as NPR Probes Russian Anti-Aircraft Brigade
The lack of close air support for troops in Ukraine due to the thicket of air-defense weaponry is a preview of what US troops could face in future wars, according to US Air Force officials. The A-10 Thunderbolt, a ground-attack jet designed in the 1970s specifically for close-air-support missions, is ill-suited for the more complex and deadly future battlefields, said Gen. Charles Brown, the US Air Force chief of staff. Lawmakers have allowed the Air Force to retire 21 of the jets in 2023, and the remaining 260 may be retired faster than planned.