The auditory version of this piece is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, which honors and supports our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Discover more at afa.org
The United States military is set to double its A-10 presence in the Middle East. This respected close air support aircraft is playing a vital role in countering Iranian vessels and Iranian-backed militant groups in Iraq as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
A dozen A-10s, belonging to the 107th Fighter Squadron from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., journeyed from Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., to RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, on March 30. This information comes from flight tracking data and local aircraft observers.
An additional half-dozen A-10s made the trip from Pease to Lakenheath the following day, March 31, as indicated by flight tracking information. These six aircraft had previously arrived at Pease from the 190th Fighter Squadron, stationed at Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, Idaho, on March 27.
It is anticipated that these supplementary A-10s will deploy to the Middle East in the coming days, with Lakenheath serving as the primary transit point for aircraft heading to that region.
These attack aircraft received fuel from KC-135 Stratotankers that took off from both Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine, and RAF Mildenhall, England.
Lakenheath, Mildenhall, and RAF Fairford have been utilized for transferring U.S. aircraft and for positioning tankers and bombers involved in Operation Epic Fury.
Approximately a dozen A-10s are already stationed in the Middle East, participating in Operation Epic Fury. These A-10s have been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and carrying out assaults against Iraqi militia groups, as sources familiar with the situation informed Air & Space Forces Magazine. Video recordings of A-10s performing strafing runs in Iraq have circulated on social media, and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has verified the A-10’s deployment in the Strait.
The U.S. military is relying on this attack plane from the 1970s, specifically designed for close air support, despite the Air Force’s intentions to decommission the fleet in the very near future. Even prior to the commencement of operations against Iran on Feb. 28, A-10s had been actively engaging Islamic State group targets in Syria earlier this year, and they have been continuously deployed to the Middle East since 2023.
On March 19, Caine stated that the “Warthog is now engaged in combat across the southern flank, tracking and eliminating fast attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz.” Pentagon reports showed the aircraft being used in close air support training with USS Santa Barbara in the Persian Gulf in early February. The A-10 operates at low altitudes and slow velocities, which permits longer loiter times—a distinct advantage when targeting marine craft.
The aircraft employs its 30mm GAU-8/A Gatling gun, capable of unleashing 3,900 rounds per minute to strafe targets.
The A-10 is also equipped to carry a range of specialized armaments, including the WGU-59 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II, the GBU-31/32/38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), and the AIM-9 Sidewinder.
The Air Force has reduced its A-10 inventory by a quarter since 2024 and intends to retire the remaining fleet within the next two years. However, Congress has put a stop to some of these reductions.
Air Force officials have long maintained that the Warthog is too old and lacks the survivability required for missions against peer adversaries.
Service leaders initially considered withdrawing the A-10 from service in 1984, after production had ceased, according to a 2015 Congressional Research Service report. Leaders at the time doubted the aircraft’s ability to withstand the Soviet Union’s anticipated air defense systems of the 1990s.
With the dissolution of that adversary, less complex defense systems granted the aircraft a renewed purpose. It was employed for 8,084 missions, conducted by 132 aircraft during the first Gulf War, as per the CRS report.
The A-10 performed 19 percent of close air support mission flights for the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars between 2006 and 2013, surpassed only by the F-16 with 33 percent, according to the CRS report.
An analysis in a 2021 Congressional Budget Office report determined that maintaining a single A-10 squadron incurs an annual cost of $370 million. Only F-16, KC-46, and MQ-9 Reaper squadrons were less expensive, at $290 million, $280 million, and $240 million, respectively.
In comparison, an F-35 squadron cost $740 million per year, making it the most expensive fighter. The B-2 Spirit, meanwhile, incurred a cost of $2.29 billion per squadron.
As of late 2024, the Air Force possessed a total of 219 A-10s in its inventory. The Active component held 141 aircraft, the Air National Guard housed 31, and the Air Force Reserve operated 47. The average age across the entire fleet at that time was 43.37 years, according to Air Force data.
The service divested 56 A-10s across the force in fiscal 2025 and had aimed to decommission all of its remaining 162 aircraft in fiscal 2026, years ahead of its previous schedule.
However, Congress opposed the accelerated strategy and, in December, halted plans to retire 102 of the remaining 162 aircraft.
In February, the service declared its intention to cease depot maintenance for the A-10 at the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The 124th Air Wing, which oversees the 190th Fighter Squadron, commenced the retirement of A-10s from Gowen Field to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., in May 2025. This squadron will transition to F-16s, which are expected to arrive in spring 2027. President Donald Trump announced in April 2025 that the 107th Fighter Squadron’s A-10s would be succeeded by the F-15EX Eagle II aircraft, with arrivals slated for fiscal 2028. The 74th and 75th Fighter Squadrons at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, are replacing their A-10s with F-35s. The 163rd Fighter Squadron at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base, Indiana, began exchanging its A-10s for F-16s in 2023. The Ohio Guard’s 179th Airlift Wing and Maryland Guard’s 175th Wing converted from A-10 to cyber units in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
The auditory version of this piece is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, which honors and supports our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Discover more at afa.org