At the same time that their gradual retirement is moving forward, the U.S. Air Force is reinforcing its deployment in the Middle East with the dispatch of more A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, which have been demonstrating their value in different missions against various types of Iranian targets as part of Operation Epic Fury. This development was not officially announced, but was instead observed on websites that allow aircraft to be tracked while in flight, where both the movement of aircraft toward British bases and the staging of potential additional units preparing to cross the Atlantic from the United States to Europe could be seen.
Expanding on some relevant details, it can be mentioned that during the course of yesterday around twelve A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft were observed arriving at RAF Lakenheath, located in England. Identified with the callsigns TABOR 71 to 76 and TABOR 81 to 86, the aircraft made the trip from Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire, departing in two separate groups of six aircraft each. During that transit, the groups were supported by a total of eight KC-135 Stratotanker tanker aircraft, four of them sent from a U.S. base and another four from a British base to relieve them halfway through the journey.
In addition to that, analysts detected that the U.S. Air Force is keeping another group of six A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft stationed at the aforementioned Pease Air National Guard Base, ready to begin their transfer to the United Kingdom at any moment. It is unknown whether these will be deployed in the coming days, or whether they are instead waiting for the arrival of another six additional aircraft in order to form a group identical to the one previously described.
In the absence of further developments, it is useful to recall that the A-10C aircraft have been participating in Operation Epic Fury since at least March 15, when the U.S. Air Force published the first official images showing their deployment in the Middle East. As we have previously reported, the now legendary attack aircraft began operating in combat against pro-Iranian irregular forces, where it demonstrated without major difficulty its great firepower and its ability to remain airborne for long periods of time.
They were also seen carrying out missions to intercept Iranian drones, which, together with missiles, have become Tehran’s main means of responding to U.S. and Israeli attacks, including against various targets inside the territory of Arab countries neighboring the regime. For this type of operation, the A-10Cs used weapon configurations consisting of two AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles, two AIM-9M Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, an LAU-131 rocket launcher armed with AGR-20F guided rockets (APKWS II), and an AN/AAQ-28(V)4 LITENING pod. As the finishing touch, these are complemented by the aircraft’s 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling cannon.
In addition, as mentioned in the opening lines, the A-10Cs have been involved in strike missions against different Iranian naval assets in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic area in the conflict because it is a key maritime route for the oil trade. In particular, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated just over a week ago: “The A-10 Warthog is already 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.”
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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