(NationalSecurity.news) It was slated for retirement but when the Air Force made the announcement, the service was inundated with complaints and congressional threats to override the decision.

In the end, critics of the decision have gotten their way – at least for now.

As reported by Reuters and Defense One, plans to retire the cheap, fast and deadly warplane have been shelved, largely because its heavily-armed platform is considered vital in the fight against the Islamic State.

Not only is the four-decade-old plane that was originally designed as a Cold War-era tank killer popular with ground forces, it is also in favor with a number of lawmakers.

Defense One quoted Air Force officials who said that though the warplane needs to be retired to make room for newer aircraft, planes to take it out of service now would be delayed because of its role in combating ISIS forces. Because of its highly armored airframe the A-10 can loiter over battlefields and withstand ground fire for long periods. It’s 30mm armor-piercing, depleted uranium gatling-gun cannon is devastating against tanks and other targets.

“Today, the A-10 fleet is playing an indispensable role in the fight against ISIL in Iraq and assisting NATO’s efforts to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe,” U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State.

McCain, a former Navy pilot, and other lawmakers had pledged to save the plane from retirement.

“With growing global chaos and turmoil on the rise, we simply cannot afford to prematurely retire the best close air support weapon in our arsenal without fielding a proper replacement,” McCain added.

The Air Force had previously stated it wanted to retire the plane to free up funds for the acquisition of more F-35s and training for pilots to fly them.

See also:

Reuters

Defense One

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