IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 879 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should 

continue to support the A–10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, also known 

as the Warthog and A–10C or OA–10C, program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 2, 2020 

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK (for herself, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. FULCHER, 

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mrs. HARTZLER, and Mr. MITCHELL) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 

Services 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

Congress should continue to support the A–10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, also known as the Warthog and 

A–10C or OA–10C, program. 

Whereas the A–10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft (hereinafter 

referred to as the ‘‘A–10’’) has seen action in every 

major United States conflict since the first production A– 

10 was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 

October, 1975, and has received several upgrades for the 

281 A–10s remaining in service; 

Whereas since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the A–10 

has become a preferred close air support platform for 

ground troops; 


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•HRES 879 IH 

Whereas the A–10 has been the backbone of the close air 

support mission for more than 40 years and has proven 

to be a highly accurate and durable weapons-delivery 

platform that can be used against all ground targets; 

Whereas the A–10 supports close air support with a variety 

of forward-firing, free-fall, and precision-guided munitions, and performs combat search and rescue, air interdiction, armed reconnaissance, suppression of enemy air 

defenses, special operations forces support, and 

countersea operations in either low- or high-threat environments, day or night; 

Whereas the A–10 provides the Air Force an extensive ability 

to survey the battlefield and then fix, engage, target, and 

destroy a wide range of both mobile and fixed targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles in quantity, as 

an arsenal aircraft; 

Whereas the A–10 gets pilots back to base despite heavy 

damage from ground fire; 

Whereas the A–10 has the lowest rate of friendly fire incidents of any combat fighter or bomber; 

Whereas the close air support as provided by the A–10 has 

proven invaluable on the battlefield, and it is better than 

any other fighter aircraft for close air support as it is 

simple, effective, and has excellent maneuverability at low 

air speeds and altitude; 

Whereas the A–10 is the least expensive combat plane in the 

United States arsenal to operate and buy; 

Whereas while the A–10 flew only 30 percent of the United 

States Air Force’s total sorties during Operation Desert 

Storm in 1991, these aircraft achieved more than half of 


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•HRES 879 IH 

the confirmed Iraqi equipment losses and fired 90 percent of the precision-guided Maverick missiles; 

Whereas during Operation Allied Force in 1999, A–10s destroyed more field-deployed Serbian weaponry than any 

other allied weapon system, and combat search and rescue support from the A–10 was 100 percent effective, 

successfully rescuing one F–117 pilot and one F–16CG 

pilot; 

Whereas during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, the A–10 flew 32 percent of the combat sorties in both theaters, and from 

2006 to late 2013, flew 19 percent of close air operations 

in Iraq and Afghanistan; 

Whereas the A–10 is an effective close air support platform 

to counter violent extremist organizations such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, having flown 11 percent 

of Air Force sorties against that organization; 

Whereas the demands for close air support in Iraq and Afghanistan keep the A–10 a relevant platform that requires upgrades; 

Whereas if the A–10 is removed from service, certain gaps 

in responsive close air support, forward air controller, air 

interdiction, strike control and reconnaissance, and combat search and rescue support could widen; 

Whereas the A–10 can be serviced and operated with high 

sortie rates from austere bases with limited facilities near 

battle areas, including unprepared dirt, grass, and narrow road runways, and from airfields that are too short 

or rough to handle fast jets; 

Whereas to continue providing unmatched airpower, gain and 

maintain air superiority, and extend global reach, global 


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•HRES 879 IH 

power is essential to preserving global security and stability; 

Whereas the A–10 program will support the Air Force, including the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve; 

Whereas the A–10 is currently flying in operational combat 

squadrons at Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, 

Idaho, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, 

Warfield Air National Guard Base, Maryland, Fort 

Wayne Air National Guard Station, Indiana, Whiteman 

Air Force Base, Missouri, Davis-Monthan Air Force 

Base, Arizona, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Eglin Air 

Force Base, Florida, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, 

and Osan Air Base, South Korea; and 

Whereas the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, 

with the inventory of 84 A–10s, is responsible for training and deploying A–10 pilots, whose primary role is to 

support troops on the ground: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) finds that the continued support for the A– 

3 10 Thunderbolt II program is imperative to national 

4 security; and 

5 (2) affirms that Congress should continue to 

6 support the A–10 Thunderbolt II program in future 

7 fiscal years because the United States cannot afford 

8 to risk its security or the security of its allies by al9 lowing that program to fall short of its mission. 

Æ 


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