The U.S. Air Force still can't make up its mind on what kind of aircraft will replace the legendary Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft first flown in 1972.

So, it's taken to covering all the bases and is considering building a new ground attack plane; adjusting an existing aircraft or upgrading the A-10.

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The Air Force is now exploring "draft requirements" concepts and figuring-out the attributes a new A-10-like aircraft needs to have in order to provide U.S. ground troops with effective close-air support until the 2050s.

As part of this extensive process, the Air Force will evaluate the avionics, engineering, weapons, armor and technical redundancy the new A-10 will need to survive more lethal future battlefields. The core technical advantages that made the A-10 famous, however, will be preserved and expanded when designing the new aircraft.

Among these advantages are superior armor protection for the pilot; a massive 30 mm rotary cannon; a heavy weapons load and unrelenting reliability.

The Air Force intends to keep the A-10 operational for many more years until the plane retires in 2022, but that's a big if.

"We are developing that draft requirements document.  We are staffing it around the Air Force now," said Lt. Gen. James Holmes, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements. 

"When it's ready, then we will compare that to what we have available, compare it to keeping the A-10, compare it to what it would take to replace it with another airplane, and we will work through that process."

Gen. Holmes said the Air Force is exploring ways to achieve, preserve and sustain air superiority in long-term, high-end combat engagements. The Air Force is looking for the optimal type of close-air-support platform by weighing various considerations.

Among existing aircraft being considered as the A-10's replacement are the Embraer EMB 314/A-29 Super Tucano from Brazil and the Raytheon T-100 / Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master from Italy.

The Super Tucano is a turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter insurgency (COIN) and close air support. The M-346 Master was originally designed as a military twin-engine transonic trainer aircraft but can conduct CAS missions, anti-shipping and aerial combat missions.

TagsU.S. Air Force, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, close-air support, Lt. Gen. James Holmes, mbraer EMB 314/A-29 Super Tucano, Raytheon T-100 / Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master