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More A-10s Are Headed to the Middle East

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The deployment of additional A-10Cs to the Middle East, the first of which arrived at RAF Lakenheath, demonstrates the continued reliance on the close air support aircraft for operations in Iran.

The U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II jets have been actively supporting Operation Epic Fury in Iran since the early days, with the attack aircraft also targeting fast attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the presence of the A-10 in theater is set to further increase with at least 188 additional aircraft transiting in Europe on their way to the Middle East.

New Coronet Flights

Twelve A-10s arrived at RAF Lakenheath in the evening of Mar. 30, divided in two cells of six aircraft each. Flying with the callsigns TABOR 71-76 and TABOR 81-86, the Warthogs (as the aircraft are nicknamed within the fighter pilot community) departed from Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, where they arrived last week.

The flight over the Atlantic Ocean was supported by eight KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft. Four of them departed from RAF Mildenhall, meeting the A-10s halfway over the ocean and taking over from the other four KC-135 which departed from Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine.

These first 12 A-10s are assigned to the 107th Fighter Squadron from Selfridge ANGB, Michigan. Two more A-10s of the same unit were also flown to Pease as spares, and later returned to their home base.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft leaves the runway after landing at RAF Lakenheath, UK, on Mar. 30, 2026. (Image Credit: Stewart Jack)

Additionally, six more Warthogs are still on the ground at Pease, waiting for the ocean crossing, but it is currently unclear if they will be joined by six more aircraft. These A-10s are from the 190th FS based at Gowen Field ANGB, Idaho.

The A-10’s Role in Iran

The close air support aircraft has long been said to not have a place in a modern conflict with heavily contested environments. However, the A-10, thanks to its versatility, has quickly got to work in Iran in multiple roles.

The first official images of the jet in action as part of Operation Epic Fury emerged on Mar. 15, showing the A-10 with a mixed loadout which can be employed against multiple types of targets. The jets were loaded with two AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface guided missiles, two LAU-131 A/A pods with seven AGR-20 laser-guided rockets each and two AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, in addition to an AN/AAQ-28 Litening targeting pod and a 600 gallon external fuel tank.

This payload allows the A-10 a good flexibility during combat missions, being able to engage both air and surface targets. The Sidewinders and the rockets have been already used by the Warthog while flying Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) missions against small drones the Shahed 136.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft lands at RAF Lakenheath, UK, on Mar. 30, 2026. (Image Credit: Stewart Jack)

This is not a news, as the A-10s were also spotted while returning from deployment in 2025 with Shahed-type UAS kill markings on their noses. While no confirmation by the U.S. Air Force was released back then, the photos were the first indication that the A-10 shot down hostile One Way Attack (OWA) drones in combat.

This role is especially made possible by the AGR-20 rocket, a Hydra 70 rocket modified with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) guidance kit to transform it in a low cost guided weapon. This was initially developed only for an air-to-ground use, but later evolved into the new role.

The weapon not only allows for an increased payload, in the images mentioned bringing the air-to-air weapons from two to 16 in total, but also has a smaller economic impact. The AGR-20 is in fact estimated to have a cost of less than $30,000, which is more comparable with the cost of Iranian OWA drones compared to the costlier AIM-9.

On Mar. 19, 2026, the Pentagon has also announced that the A-10 is being employed to hunt down Iranian fast attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz. The use in a maritime domain is not unprecedented, as the type has regularly taken part in U.S. submarine escort and live-fire exercises in recent years.

A-10 Thunderbolt II during a mission in support of Operation Epic Fury. (Image Credit: U.S. Central Command)

Initially the Warthog has been rarely used in the maritime domain, with one of the few instances being the 2011 Operation Unified Protector which saw A-10s engaging, together with a P-3C Orion, a patrol boat and several small attack craft in the port of Misrata, Libya. Later on, in the 2020s, the aircraft took part in multiple Maritime Surface Warfare exercises and conducted unit defense training.

This follows the renewed attention towards asymmetric threats caused by the attacks in the Red Sea or the skirmishes between the Ukrainian USVs (Unmanned Surface Vehicles) and the Russian Navy in the Black Sea. High Value Targets, like U.S. warships and civilian ships and tankers could be attacked and overwhelmed by coordinated swarms of USVs, challenging the traditional naval defense strategies.

The A-10’s maneuverability at low airspeeds and altitude, flexible armament, highly accurate weapons-delivery capabilities, and extended loiter time are all key attributes that make it highly effective at against fast naval targets in the Persian Gulf and beyond.

The roles of the A-10 in Operation Epic Fury, however, don’t end here, as the aircraft is also being used over Iraq against Iran-aligned militias. Multiple videos show the Warthog in action in Iraq, conducting strafing runs with the GAU-8 30 mm gun.


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