The legendary A-10 Thunderbolt II will be maintained in service by the U.S. Air Force until at least 2030, under new plans announced by the Secretary of the Air Force.
This new announcement changes plans that were to see the A-10 platform, colloquially known as the Warthog, completely withdrawn by the 2029 financial year.
Though the extension presently lasts until only 2030, it will reportedly see two squadrons of A-10s maintained until this date, with one other squadron extended until 2029. The U.S. Air Force has previously favored a much more rapid drawdown of A-10 operations, even requesting to retire the entire fleet in its 2026 budget proposals – later overruled by Congress.
In consultation with @SecWar, we will EXTEND the A-10 “Warthog” platform to 2030. This preserves combat power as the Defense Industrial Base works to increase combat aircraft production.
Thank you to @POTUS for your unwavering support of our warfighters and quick, decisive… pic.twitter.com/zn1l3OshdY
— Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (@SecAFOfficial) April 20, 2026
Big change from just last year. The Air Force in its FY2026 budget request had sought to retire the last of its A-10 Warthog fleet. Congress blocked the push in its NDAA, barring the service from decreasing the inventory below 103 aircraft. https://t.co/gOzGtQ6rI9
— Briana Reilly (@briana_reilly) April 20, 2026
Previous plans have indicated that A-10 airframes could theoretically be maintained into the 2040s, though even if a further extension beyond 2030 is granted it is unlikely that two squadrons could sustain an extension of that length without the reintroduction of support and training pipelines that have already been withdrawn. The final class of A-10 pilots graduated earlier this month.
Brian Everstine, Pentagon editor at Aviation Week, reports that the units extended until 2030 include one active duty squadron at Moody AFB and one reserve unit at Whiteman AFB. A second Moody unit will operate until 2029.
The Air Force will extend three A-10 squadrons, the service announces today.
One Moody active duty squadron and one Whiteman reserve squadron to 2030, plus another Moody squadron to 2029, according to the service. pic.twitter.com/pNrdLnWk15
— Brian Everstine (@beverstine) April 20, 2026
The Warthog has long faced criticism over its vulnerability in modern high-tier conflicts, where its low and slow performance characteristics would make it vulnerable to various types of anti-aircraft weaponry. However, in recent years, the aircraft has developed new capabilities that allow it to serve as a capable drone interdictor and precision strike platform.
During Operation Epic Fury, A-10s have been used extensively to target Iran-backed militia groups operating in Iraq and Syria while more survivable platforms can be reserved for high-threat missions in Iranian airspace itself. It does appear that A-10s have directly seen action against Iran itself on some occasions, including as part of the combat search and rescue effort for a downed F-15E Strike Eagle. One A-10 was lost to enemy fire during this mission, though its pilot was able to eject safely over friendly airspace.
USAF A-10 Warthog gun run low over Iraq earlier today. pic.twitter.com/SOWSEZV37d
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 25, 2026
As we have reported previously, a modification was recently developed and tested for the A-10 which will allow it to refuel from hose and drogue equipped refueling aircraft. This helps to mitigate the fact the KC-46 is still not cleared to refuel the A-10, as well as the differing requirements for the A-10’s aerial refueling process that complicate mixed-receiver sorties by KC-135s.
We, and others, speculated that it was unlikely such a modification would have been developed had the rapid drawdown of A-10s still been on the cards.
This is an emerging news story, and this article will be updated as and when more details become available.
