Some armament folks said they could match the 30 mm cannon in the A-10 with a pod-mounted cannon for the A-16
The A-10 Thunderbolt II was the first U.S. Air Force aircraft purpose-built to provide close air support for ground troops. Designed as a straightforward, capable, and highly survivable twin-engine jet, it can engage a wide range of targets, from light maritime attack aircraft to tanks and other armored vehicles. The first production A-10A was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona in October 1975.
According to R. G. Head’s US Attack Aviation: Air Force and Navy Light Attack, 1916 to the Present, the Army and Air Force renewed their focus on the possibility of a European conflict in 1982. With the Vietnam War behind them, the 1973 Yom Kippur War had highlighted the destructive power of modern weapons.
Under General Don Starry, the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command rejected a defensive NATO strategy and formulated the AirLand Battle doctrine, which emphasized maneuver warfare and offensive operations. Published in Field Manual 100-5, Operations, the doctrine called for the Air Force to conduct deep strikes against Soviet rear areas, disrupting and destroying forces moving toward the battlefield. Air Force planners welcomed this renewed emphasis on interdiction over close air support, as it aligned with service preferences that stretched back to Billy Mitchell.
In 1984, the Air Force and Army formally endorsed the doctrine through the publication of “31 Initiatives,” which set the strategy into motion. By then, the F-16 had become the fighter community’s preferred aircraft. As the less expensive multirole option, it appeared well suited to fulfill the interdiction role within the broader attack mission.
Meanwhile, the Air Force was developing its Fighter Roadmap, which did not call for additional A-10 purchases. Officially, the service argued that the A-10 was too vulnerable for deep-interdiction operations and that AirLand Battle demanded a faster, more maneuverable platform. The proposed modified aircraft, known as the A-16, was expected to survive ground fire more effectively because of its greater speed.
Supporters of the concept, however, overlooked the fact that the A-10 had prevailed over the A-7 in comparative trials precisely because its lower speed allowed it to turn more tightly over targets and operate effectively in poor weather. The traditional debate over subsonic versus supersonic aircraft had largely passed; the more relevant question had become whether speed or slower, tighter maneuverability was the greater advantage.
Once again, some weapons specialists argued that the A-16 could match the A-10’s 30 mm cannon by carrying a gun pod. Their reasoning echoed the earlier defense of the missile-only F-4D, which could supposedly be supplemented with a pod-mounted M61 20 mm Gatling gun.
Throughout the 1980s, the debate over aircraft procurement became increasingly public. The movement was united by three central beliefs: the F-16 was unsuitable for close air support, the Air Force’s evolving war-fighting doctrine was neglecting the CAS mission, and the A-10 remained the ideal aircraft for the role. Critics consequently branded its members “anti-F-16.”
Tom Christie, one of the original members of the Fighter Mafia, grew frustrated with that characterization. As he explained, “Suddenly, we who had pushed the F-16 were viewed as being anti-F-16…. We weren’t anti-F-16. We were just saying that’s not the airplane that was going to do close air support well.”
In 1989, the collapse of the Berlin Wall strengthened opposition to the close-air-support mission. Critics of the A-10 argued that the reduced armored threat in Europe justified cutting the number of A-10 units. Congress intervened again, prohibiting the Air Force from using its 1990 funds for F-16 production until a new study examined additional alternatives. It also ordered an assessment of whether the CAS mission should be transferred to the Army.
Late in 1990, the Air Force announced that it had abandoned plans to convert part of its F-16 fleet into the proposed A-16.
US Attack Aviation: Air Force and Navy Light Attack, 1916 to the Present is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Air Force
