This Congresswoman's Passion for the A-10 Saved it From Cancellation

When American troops find themselves in perilous positions on the battlefield, there is no better sound overhead than the A-10 bringing its 30 mm gun to bear on the enemy. 

Yet over the last two years, the Obama administration and Air Force leadership have been working overtime to mothball our entire A-10 fleet, 13 years ahead of schedule. This decision to divest the A-10 is, by the Administration's own admission, a budget-driven decision that will create a capability gap in the Close Air Support (CAS) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions. The result is American lives will be put at risk.

Congresswoman Martha McSally has led a bipartisan effort to advocate for funding of the A-10 and to keep our best Close Air Support asset in the air and protecting our troops.

Alexander Kartveli contributed significantly to the science of flight and the readiness of the US military during and after World War II, and was involved in designing and leading of various vital military aviation projects, which eventually included the A-10.

In January 2016, the USAF announced it was halting plans to retire the A-10 for at least several years. In addition to Congressional opposition, its use in anti-ISIL operations, deployments to Eastern Europe as a response to Russian military's intervention in Ukraine, and reevaluation of F-35 numbers necessitated its continued use. In February 2016, it was reported that the Air Force had deferred the final retirement of the aircraft until 2022 - after being replaced by F-35s on a squadron-by-squadron basis. In October 2016, the Air Force Material Command returned the depot maintenance line back to full capacity in preparation for re-winging the fleet.

Today, the A-10 is the longest serving fighter aircraft in history.

Kartveli Exhibit Opens at Free University - Tbilisi

Last week, the Kartveli Association contributed learning materials and model airplanes to the Free University. The purpose was to create a display for students to learn about the life and accomplishment of Alexander Kartveli.

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It’s been a busy year for the Association. Earlier this year, we sponsored an exhibit at Georgia National Museum that ended after great success. The display inside Free University houses some elements of the museum exhibit. A screen playing the short film, Alexander Kartveli and His Life, adds an interactive element for visitors to learn about Kartveli and the mission of the Association.

We are grateful that a group of students and faculty helped assemble the materials.

The display illuminates the story of Alexander Kartveli’s life in detail.

A graduate of Paris Highest School of Aviation, Kartveli developed into an influential aircraft engineer and designer, a pioneer in American aviation history, and an early technology innovator.

He became a U.S. citizen by emigrating from Europe in the late 1920’s and escaping the rise of Bolshevik Russia and war-torn Europe.

Kartveli achieved breakthroughs in military aviation through aircraft design that proved to be essential to defeating Axis forces during World War II. He is considered to be one of the most important aircraft designers in U.S. and world history, yet Kartveli’s legacy remains largely unknown.

Kartveli spent most of his career at the Republic Aviation Corporation  -  an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, Long Island, NY. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and production of many important military aircrafts. Its founder Alexander de Seversky was another Georgia-born individual who made a signification contribution to U.S. aviation history.

He is solely responsible for seminal design advancements related to legendary aircraft. In addition to designing the first metal plane to cross the Atlantic, Kartveli is credited with designs for the P-35 (the first single-seat fighter to feature all-metal construction), the P-47 Thunderbolt (used to win air superiority in World War II), the XF-103 (high speed bomber), and the F-105 (used extensively in Vietnam).

Kartveli’s contributions to hypersonic flight theory provided important contributions to NASA’s space flight ambitions. His advisory work at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the predecessor to NASA, proved valuable to early space shuttle and orbital aircraft designs.

About the Alexander Kartveli Association. The mission of Kartveli Association is to curate Alexander Kartveli's life and accomplishments.   We believe that by protecting the past we can invent a better future.  Human brilliance is evenly distributed around the world, but opportunity is not.  We can change lives and bring opportunity to many by promoting core values and ideals that represent the main themes that defined Kartveli.  Chief among these values and ideals is perseverance, tenacity, creativity, imagination and learning.  And most important we want to tell an amazing story about an important innovator who brought to life some of the foundational aerospace technologies of today.  Our community outreach, education and museum contributions are made through our non-profit Alexander Kartveli Association based in Tblisi, Georgia.

About the Free University of Tblisi. The mission of Free University is to provide the country's most talented and motivated students a world-class, 21st-century education and produce graduates who can become leaders in their fields and bring wholesome and sustainable changes to a country still in development.