Michael Scanlon

Contributor at Defense News, Military Times, Air ForceTimes • 🇺🇸USAF veteran

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

Epic Fury “MVP” was a remotely piloted Reaper, says USAF. Lawmakers want to know how the service plans to balance the budget for the manned-unmanned future of the Air Force? https://t.co/WBvbYLQECO

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

The cost of war continues to climb. https://t.co/buawnfFlgx

[Defense News @defense_news]

The Skyraider II, a militarized version of the AT-802 crop duster, is built to give isolated special ops teams eyes overhead and firepower on call. https://t.co/xz5nT4dyWN

[Defense News @defense_news]

The Air Force is seeking to backfill the inventory of MQ-9 Reapers and field a cheaper, more expendable replacement. https://t.co/VXrcvUqUtH

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

U.S. Air Force clears @BoeingDefense’s T-7A Red Hawk for low-rate production.

Named in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen’s red-tailed fighters of WWII, the advanced trainer is set to prepare the next generation of combat pilots. https://t.co/uowYqRqvcA

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

Excellent breakdown here by @WonBier, detailing the potential paths forward for the CSAR Sandy mission as the short-term A-10 extension leaves questions unanswered. https://t.co/nsn1NDMPpo @A10TheHog

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

“Never leave your wingman”

The U.S. Air Force seeks nearly $1 billion for initial purchase of Collaborative Combat Aircraft, as aerial warfare is evolving.

https://t.co/wn6Ll7dGW5

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

Pentagon seeks 85 F-35s for Air Force, Navy, and Marines, but more than half of them hinge on a reconciliation bill. https://t.co/ailuTL0u0A

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

USAF expected to retain 54 Warthogs across 3 squadrons. https://t.co/1sJ5BmryKh

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

@SecAFOfficial @SecWar @POTUS Defying the odds yet again, the grizzled and cunning Warthog evades the Boneyard and lives to fight another battle.

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

The Warthog gets a new lease on life, albeit a short one. https://t.co/bYuqGXUnz5

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

@Johnny_Joey @SecWar @USMC Not only has the pipeline closed for new A-10 pilots, but the pipeline for CSAR Sandy pilots as well. What does this mean for future CSAR operations? I tried to answer that question here: https://t.co/BfVlRSdbEJ

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

As the USAF accelerates plans to retire the A-10 Warthog by FY 2029, the service faces a growing set of unanswered questions about what replaces it, and its pilots, in one of the military’s most specialized mission sets: combat search and rescue. #Sandy https://t.co/BfVlRSdbEJ

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

Excellent piece here by former A-10 Warthog CSAR Sandy 1 pilot Joel Bier, on what’s at stake as A-10 retirement accelerates:

https://t.co/NOrQdB3UZa

[Kim “KC” Campbell @kchawg987]

Appreciate the chance to contribute to this discussion...highlighting the skill of our A-10 pilots, the durability of the aircraft, and what it takes to execute a successful combat search and rescue mission. CSAR is complex, dangerous, and critical to bringing our people home.

[Kim “KC” Campbell @kchawg987]

Hard to believe it’s been 23 years… Still grateful for the incredible team who had my back. Appreciate the opportunity to highlight the A-10, our rescue forces, and the training required to operate in these high-stakes, high-risk missions.

[Michael Scanlon @michaelscanlonX]

“One of the largest, most complex, most harrowing combat search-and-rescue missions ever attempted by the military.”

F-15E downed: Here’s how the CSAR mission to rescue two American airmen unfolded.

Grateful to @kchawg987 for her invaluable insights.

https://t.co/w7EdJWTAii

[Defense News @defense_news]

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II reportedly crashed near the Strait of Hormuz at around the same time an F-15E fighter jet was shot down. https://t.co/k0hOiBiJxv

[Military Times @MilitaryTimes]

One of two U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle pilots shot down by enemy fire in Iran has been rescued. https://t.co/1nI5uYz8jc