Published Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 AM EDT
The Air Force Wants to Retire the A-10. The ‘BRRRRT Act’ Would Keep 126 Flying
The BRRRRT Act would keep at least 126 A-10 Warthogs flying through 2033 unless the Pentagon fields a dedicated replacement.
Congress is trying to save an aircraft by naming a bill after the sound of its gun. The bipartisan BRRRRT Act would require the Air Force to maintain at least 126 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft through fiscal 2033 and rebuild support programs that the service has already started dismantling. The name stands for the Bolstering Recognition, Resurgence, Retention, and Remembrance of the Thunderbolt Act. It also imitates the unmistakable noise produced when the A-10 fires its 30 mm cannon. Behind the memorable name sits a serious disagreement over whether the military should retire an aging aircraft before it has a dedicated replacement for protecting troops on the ground.
U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation pilot, Stuart Milson, flies in formation with Maj. Kristin Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and commander, and Capt. Haden Fullam, A-10 Demonstration Team pilot and commander, during the 2021 Thunder over Michigan Air Show at Willow Run Airport, Mich., Aug. 8, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
