Sponsors (6)
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Defense to meet certain requirements relating to the divestment, preservation, and inventories of A-10 aircraft, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 20, 2026 by Abraham J. Hamadeh · Last progress July 20, 2026
The bill prioritizes preserving A‑10 capability, readiness, industrial jobs, and oversight through FY2033 while expanding evaluated autonomy and innovation opportunities — at the cost of higher taxpayer spending, added administrative burdens, potential constraints on DoD modernization flexibility, and security/safety risks from transfers and AI experimentation.
Military aircrews, ground forces, and units retain A‑10 close-air-support capability, pilot proficiency, weapons-instructor expertise, and unit readiness through FY2033 thanks to mandated sustainment, training, and minimum fleet levels.
Pilots, maintainers, depot workers, and local economies keep jobs and training pipelines because the bill preserves A‑10 sustainment, training, and demonstration-team activities.
Congress, oversight bodies, and taxpayers gain more transparency and accountability through required roadmaps, certifications, annual reports, GAO review triggers, and interagency briefings.
U.S. taxpayers face increased near‑ and mid‑term costs from sustaining older A‑10 airframes, operating a demonstration team, preserving recoverable storage, and funding RDT&E or prototyping activities.
The bill constrains DoD flexibility and may slow or bias modernization by restricting divestment, transfers, and reallocation of A‑10 assets—potentially preventing more cost‑effective force‑shaping or faster fielding of new capabilities.
Air Force and DoD personnel will incur significant administrative burden and staff time preparing roadmaps, certifications, annual reports, GAO-triggered reviews, demonstrations, and interagency briefings.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Preserves A‑10 fleet, training, sustainment, and unit structure through FY2033; requires restoration plans, reporting, experimentation, and certifications before divestment.
Requires the Air Force to keep a minimum A‑10 fleet and preserve training, maintenance, and operational capacity through FY2033, blocking retirements, transfers, or reductions that would reduce combat-ready A‑10 capability. It forces near-term plans and certifications, restores sustainment capacity lost in anticipation of divestment, and establishes reporting, experimentation, and transfer studies related to the A‑10 mission. Directs the Air Force to maintain specific unit structures and training outputs, reconstitute an A‑10 demonstration team for public outreach, run a program of autonomous/AI-capable experimentation tied to the A‑10 mission, and deliver multiple reports and briefings to the congressional defense committees on employment history, modernization options, and foreign transfer feasibility.