Although, the U.S. Air Force is seeking to retire the A-10 strike fleet, whose average age is more than 40 years old. In order to save more money for the next generation of air combat systems. But the A-10 fleet of hundreds of aircraft is unlikely to be what the U.S. military wants in a short period of time. Even though Congress has agreed that the Air Force can retire A-10 fighters one after another, the number of retirements per year is still relatively small compared to the size of the fleet. In order to maintain the operational capabilities of the existing A-10 fleet, the U.S. Air Force still held the biennial A-10 business competition code-named "Hawkeye" on September 6-9 this year, which was also dubbed the "Air Olympics" by the US media.
More than 30 A-10 Warthog attack aircraft deployed around the globe gathered in one place for the Air Olympic Games. In several eye-catching photos released by the U.S. Air Force, the neat arrangement of 37 A-10s on the runway of Govin Airport in Boise, Idaho, is spectacular, and these "warthogs" mainly participate in close-range air contact subject competitions such as tactical bombing, missile attack and tactical shooting; This is also the main combat method of the A-10.
This year's A-10 tournament was hosted by the 124th Fighter Wing of the Idaho Air National Guard. The 37 Warthogs that competed already accounted for more than a tenth of the 281 A-10 fleet owned by the U.S. Air Force. They came from 15 U.S. Air Force active, National Guard, and Air Reserve units, and a total of 150 pilots, as well as maintenance personnel and weapons teams, participated in the competition. The competition tested the maintenance, weapons loading, bombing, and strafing capabilities of each participating A-10 squadron.
But in reality, the contest was more than just a match; Rather, it is a combat exercise with a background in actual combat. Over the course of a week, the A-10 pilots and ground crew demonstrated as much of the A-10 capabilities as possible.
Colonel Ryan Richardson, commander of the 124th Combat Brigade, said: "This overall competition is a tactical training. ”
The Hawkeye competition dates back to 1996, when Cliff Lata, commander of the 110th Fighter Wing Operations Group in Battle Creek, Michigan, launched the contest in order to show his troops to other Air National Guard members, according to Hawgsmoke.com, the event.
Prior to Hawkeye, the U.S. Air Force had a game about Air Force shooting and bombing called "Gunsmoke," but the game was stopped in 1995.
The Hawkeye competition really started in 2000, because the U.S. Air Force didn't hold it in the four years since the first competition in 1996. Thanks to Rata's efforts, the tournament was revived in 2000 and eventually expanded to include every A-10 squadron from the U.S. Air Force.
Rata explained: "The Hawkeye competition was set up to give pilots a chance to show their abilities. Another goal is to allow these pilots to have a relatively easy week... It just so happens to be possible to organize a game. ”
The U.S. Air Force also mentioned in the statement that now, as long as the U.S. Air Force's A-10 fleet is still flying, these pilots gather every few years to test the combat capabilities of these attack-minded pilots in bombing, missile and tactical shooting tactics, techniques and procedures. ”
The first A-10A attack aircraft was delivered to Davis-Monson Air Force Base in Arizona in 1975 and was designed for close air support missions. The Warthog attack aircraft became famous for its role in the Gulf War, in which the A-10 achieved a 95.7 percent mission execution rate, flew 8,100 sorties, and fired 90 percent of the war's AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles. The Hawkeye race was launched five years after the end of the Gulf War, when the aircraft already had a fairly high reputation.
In this year's competition, the 190th Fighter Squadron from hosts Boise Base, Idaho, won the championship again, which was also the third time the squadron had won the championship. Previously, the 190th Fighter Squadron also won the championship in 2008 and 2010.
Although, the U.S. Air Force has confirmed that hawkeye competitions will continue to be held as usual as long as the A-10 is not retired. But it is undeniable that this legendary fighter that has been in service for decades has reached the end of time. After congress allows the A-10 to begin retirement, the final day will come sooner or later. For now, though, the U.S. Air Force hasn't completely abandoned warthogs, and at least some A-10s are still in service. After modernization, ensuring that the A-10 remains a key player in future high-end conflicts.
Moreover, among the top echelons of the US military, there are already voices that will provide it to Ukraine. Although unlikely, Ukrainian pilots have begun to use simulators to train flying A-10 attack aircraft. It also shows that once the U.S. military confirms the offer, these pilots can get started as soon as possible. Senior U.S. Air Force officials said the possibility of making the A-10 available to Ukraine was not ruled out.
The U.S. A-10 Squadrons participating in the 2022 Hawkeye competition are as follows:
25th Fighter Squadron from Osan Air Base, South Korea
Squadron of 47th Fighters from Davis-Monson Air Force Base, Arizona
66th Weapons Squadron from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
74th Fighter Squadron from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
75th Fighter Squadron from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
76th Fighter Squadron from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
104th Fighter Squadron from Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland
Squadron 107th Fighter from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan
163rd Fighter Squadron from Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station, Indiana
190th Fighter Squadron from Boisegovin Air National Guard Base, Idaho
303rd Fighter Squadron from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
354th Fighter Squadron from Davis-Monson Air Force Base, Arizona
357th Fighter Squadron from Davis-Monson Air Force Base, Arizona
358th Fighter Squadron from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
422d Test and Evaluation Squadron from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada