The A-10 Warthog Won’t Last Forever. Here Are 5 Potential Successors

No one has more friends in Washington than the A-10 Thunderbolt, an aged attack plane made famous by its 30-millimeter Gatling cannon and durability—both in battle in the Middle East and in skirmishes between Congress and the U.S. Air Force.

The plane, dubbed the “Warthog” for its ungainly visage, dates to the early 1970s and was built to decimate Soviet tanks that never emerged from behind the Iron Curtain. The beast has survived numerous brushes with retirement as its political allies repeatedly rebuffed Pentagon efforts to put it down. Under current Defense Department funding, the A-10 will fly until 2022. Even though U.S. lawmakers may keep the money flowing to retain the jet beyond 2022, the Air Force has begun contemplating alternatives for its mission of providing close air support for ground troops.