Two shark mouth-marked A-10s from Moody AFB’s 74th Fighter Squadron transited through RAF Lakenheath en route to the Middle East, possibly replacing the Warthog lost during the CSAR mission over Iran.
Two more A-10C Thunderbolt IIs are on their way to the Middle East, joining the aircraft already deployed there. Interestingly, the aircraft belong to 74th Fighter Squadron “Flying Tigers” from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and are sporting their characteristic shark mouth.
The 74th FS, together with the 75th FS, is part of the 23rd Fighter Group, which is the only unit currently authorized to paint the shark mouth on its aircraft. This is due to the unit’s heritage as the descendent unit of the World War 2’s American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers,” which adopted the markings on its P-40B fighters in 1941.
More A-10s headed east
The two A-10s arrived at RAF Lakenheath, in the UK, on Apr. 17, 2026, flying with the callsigns TREND 71 and 72, supported by a single KC-135R Stratotanker flying as ROMA21. The aircraft departed again on Apr. 20 with the same callsigns, supported by a KC-135R flying as BORA23 which was operating from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, France.
Notably, this ferry cell is much smaller than usual. In fact, previous deployment have usually seen 10-12 aircraft flying together across the Atlantic Ocean on their way to Europe and later the Middle East.
It must be noted that a Warthog (as the aircraft is nicknamed within the fighter pilot community) was lost during the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission to recover the pilot of DUDE 44, the F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down over Iran. As we previously reported, the pilot was rescued by a package which included HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft, HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters and A-10Cs.
Coronet East 066 – Losses to be replaced #FreeIran
— Operation EPIC FURY —A single tanker from France is supporting the move of 2 additional A-10C “Thunderbolt II” attack aircraft to the Middle East this morning after their brief stay at RAF Lakenheath (EGUL).
KC-135R… pic.twitter.com/rNU6DlBs9F
— DefenceGeek 🇬🇧 (@DefenceGeek) April 20, 2026
While this has not been confirmed officially, we cannot exclude the possibility that these two A-10s deploying alone might be replacing the lost A-10. The second aircraft could be either acting as a spare or replacing an aircraft which suffered maintenance issues.
It is likely these Warthogs will join the aircraft of the 23rd FG which are already in the Middle East. In fact, the unit’s A-10s were featured multiple times in CENTCOM’s photos, with the shark mouth and the tail flash of the 75th FS clearly recognizable, together with the tiger tail of the 23rd Operational Support Squadron.
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.
U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II’s receive fuel in-flight while supporting Operation Epic Fury. The A-10 Thunderbolt II can loiter for hours, standing by and ready to execute a mission whenever needed. pic.twitter.com/VjESHLR32Y
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2026
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.
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.
U.S. military sustainers are on top of their game. pic.twitter.com/EK9eqF4fc8
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 20, 2026
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.
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.
