WASHINGTON, DC (KGUN9-TV) - There's good news in the effort to keep the A-10 Warthog flying. There will be more money in the Air Force budget to put new wings on the aging warplanes.
About 110 of the planes need replacement wings to protect against metal fatigue from years of hard flying. Without the replacements, they'll have to be grounded.
That could force the Air Force to shut down three of its nine A-10 squadrons and could have an impact on Davis-Monthan here because it's the biggest A-10 base in the Air Force.
Congresswoman Martha McSally is a former A-10 pilot and squadron commander. Her office announced the new money Friday.
The funding is on top of $103 Million dollars already approved to re-open the assembly line for the wings. That money was only enough to replace the wings on four planes.
It's not clear how many planes would get replacement wings with the additional money.
