New details in the BRRRRT Act would require the US Air Force to keep at least 126 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft in service through fiscal 2033, unless the Secretary of the Air Force authorises a higher threshold. The bill text also goes beyond a simple retirement freeze, aiming to preserve selected retired aircraft in recoverable storage and restrict actions that could reduce the fleet’s long-term viability.
The legislation would bar cuts in A-10 personnel, pilot training capacity, operational test capacity, depot maintenance and sustainment activities, while requiring the service to rebuild enough support capacity to keep the aircraft effective through fiscal 2033. It also ties any retirement waiver to the fielding of a replacement aircraft that is fully operational and able to perform the A-10’s core missions, including close air support, FAC-A, combat search and rescue support, personnel recovery and armed overwatch.
The text further directs the administration to examine whether surplus A-10s could be transferred to foreign partners through Foreign Military Sales or the Excess Defense Articles programme. Another provision looks at autonomous capabilities relevant to the A-10 mission set, indicating that the bill is intended to shape both fleet preservation and future mission adaptation as the Air Force continues plans to divest the type.