In US military circles, a proposal to transfer a fleet of A-10 attack aircraft to Ukraine is being discussed. As the New York Times notes, this idea makes a lot of sense from the point of view of both the needs of Ukraine and the interests of the development of the American Air Force,
KYIV. UkraineGate. 22. July . 2022 | Ukraine News .
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A-10 assault rifles were developed during the Cold War specifically to defeat ground targets and, first of all, to combat Soviet tanks, which are still widely used by Russia.
At the same time, the Pentagon has been trying to get rid of these machines for more than a year in order to free up funds for the purchase and maintenance of more multi-purpose aircraft, which are more in line with the ideas of American strategists about future military conflicts in which the United States may participate.
But the American military has still not managed to get Congress to sanction this; legislators eagerly allocated money to support and modernize the A-10 fleet.
US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall immediately admitted in several statements this week the possibility of transferring the A-10 to Ukraine.
The Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, General Charles Brown, did not directly talk about the A-10 at the Security Forum in Aspen, but he suggested the possibility of transferring combat aircraft to Ukraine, and most likely not Russian ones.
The possibility of transferring F-16 fighters to Ukraine is also being discussed, but not everyone in Kyiv is convinced of the usefulness of this machine for the needs of the current war.
Until now, the Biden administration has resisted the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine – even from other NATO countries – believing that in Moscow this step will be perceived as an escalation of US involvement in the war.
Source: Ukrgate