U.S. Air Force might pursue two separate programs to complement, replace A-10

The U.S. Air Force is mulling whether to embark on two separate tracks to complement the A-10 mission and replace the legacy ground attack jet.

U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Kujawa

The OA-X would be a low-end, low-cost, non-developmental aircraft based on the existing airframes such as the A-29 Super Tucano or the AT-6. It will augment the A-10 in permissive environments.

In the long term, the service might seek a replacement aircraft that operate in a moderate- to low-threat regime under the A-X2 moniker.