The US Air Force (USAF) has postponed the retirement of its Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft as a consequence of its continued need on the battlefield, it was announced on 2 February. Previewing the upcoming release of the Pentagon's fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017) budget request, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter disclosed that the A-10's retirement will be deferred until 2022 on account of its "devastating" performance against the Islamic State in the Middle East.
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