Even as the service continues taking steps toward retiring the platform, including the recent deactivation of one of its main maintenance units, the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft continue to demonstrate their value in combat through strikes against Iranian naval targets in the Strait of Hormuz. The development was confirmed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, who in a recent press conference stated that the platform has taken part in missions against fast attack craft deployed by Tehran as part of efforts to reopen the aforementioned trade route, which is key to the oil market.
Quoting General Caine’s official remarks: “The A-10 Warthog is now participating in combat on the southern flank (Editor’s note: of Iran) and is hunting and destroying fast attack boats in the Strait of Hormuz (…) We continue to pursue and destroy naval assets, including more than 120 vessels and 44 minelayers.” It is worth noting that, up to now, the participation of the A-10C Thunderbolt II in Operation Epic Fury had mainly taken the form of strike missions against Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq, taking advantage of its wide range of available weaponry to perform in that role.
Briefly reviewing what we know about the latter, it can be mentioned that these attack aircraft rely on their now-famous 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling cannon, but also on AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles, and 70 mm APKWS II guided rockets.
It should also be mentioned that these aircraft had already been operating in the Middle East as support platforms for U.S. Navy ships deployed there, especially alongside LCS vessels such as the USS Santa Barbara, which were assigned the role of clearing naval mines from the waters, replacing four Avenger-class ships that had already been transported back to the United States. As we reported at the time, the images even suggested that the A-10Cs appeared to be conducting low-altitude maneuvers that could indicate gunnery practice against naval targets, even weeks before the outbreak of Operation Epic Fury.
This issue is not minor, considering that the use of small naval drones and fast attack craft constitutes one of the Iranian Navy’s main tools for resisting U.S. operations. With its main bases and ships heavily damaged, these types of platforms still give the force the ability to deploy short-range missiles, naval mines, and other kinds of weapons that can become a major nuisance for the U.S. Navy, both because of how difficult they are to detect and because of their ability to operate without being near major ports that could be targeted by attacks. The A-10C, especially because of its great endurance and low operating cost relative to other aircraft, is a key asset for combating them.
Moreover, U.S. analysts have emphasized that at this stage Iran does not possess major air defense systems or combat aircraft capable of endangering the A-10C, which is able to operate without too many problems when the enemy’s capabilities are limited to man-portable systems employed from the ground. This is not a minor point, since the aircraft’s ability to operate in modern environments was limited by the presence of more complex threats to its survivability, one of the main reasons why its retirement is planned.
The end of the A-10C, near and with no direct replacement in sight
Faced with what is shaping up to be one of the final deployments of the A-10C in its long service history with the U.S. Air Force, it is worth remembering that the service has been pushing for its retirement for years as part of its modernization plans, only being held back by the various limits Congress has sought to place on that roadmap. Among the reasons argued by the USAF, even taking into account what was said previously about its ability to survive in modern combat environments, the decision responds to the need to free up resources for more advanced combat platforms such as the F-35 stealth fighter.
The U.S. legislature, however, maintains significant doubts about the lack of a direct replacement in sight to take over from the A-10C fleet, which is why it has moved to prevent the number from being reduced below 103 aircraft. Among the reasons put forward for this position, which runs contrary to that defended by USAF authorities, are the various delays in the delivery schedules for the F-35 and its upgrade packages, as well as its considerably higher associated operating cost, something not minor when confronting threats such as the cheap Iranian drones employed in combat.
Even so, the U.S. Air Force has quietly avoided requesting part of the budget that would be allocated to continue sustaining the A-10C fleet, which is a clear sign of its intention to complete the aircraft’s retirement in the near future. In addition, as mentioned in the opening paragraph, the service has deactivated the 571st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, which operated at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, one of the main pillars sustaining the platform in service since 1998. The base is already carrying out its transition to the F-35, receiving aircraft and modifying its infrastructure to adapt to the new requirements.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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