- Expansion preserves combat power, USAF secretary says.
- Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly fought to prevent the A-10’s retirement.
- The USAF warns that the A-10s are straining resources to maintain the newer ones.
The US Air Force has extended the life of its A-10 “Warthog” attack aircraft until 2030, although the aging platform remains linked to recent combat operations in the Strait of Hormuz, where an aircraft was lost in controversial circumstances during heightened tensions with Iran.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced the extension, saying it would preserve combat capability while the defense industrial base accelerated production of newer aircraft.
The move comes against the backdrop of an earlier loss of an A-10 in the region, which Iranian officials described as a shootdown, while U.S. accounts described it as a crash whose cause remains under investigation.
“We will EXTEND the A-10 ‘Warthog’ platform through 2030,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said on social media, adding that the move “preserves combat power as the defense industrial base works to increase production of combat aircraft.”
The development marks the latest chapter in a long battle over the fate of the plane, which first flew in 1976 and has remained on the Pentagon chopping block for more than two decades.
The A-10 has been used in the current conflict with Iran, according to US Central Command. Its powerful nose-mounted guns have been used against Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports.
Some in the Air Force have long argued that the Warthog is too old, too slow and too expensive to maintain, and that its retirement would free up money for modernization priorities like developing hypersonic weapons.
Critics have warned that reducing the fleet without properly replacing it would leave ground troops without adequate air support.
But the A-10 proved almost impossible to kill, largely because of its political resistance. The largest concentration of the fleet is based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, contributing to the local economy.
The Air Force ranks among the region’s top employers. Arizona is a battleground state that has gained increasing influence in determining U.S. presidential elections.
In 2021, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly successfully fended off a Biden administration proposal to withdraw dozens of aircraft, securing language in defense legislation that blocked any withdrawal.
Kelly argued that the aircraft should not be removed without a suitable replacement to carry out the close air support mission.
Air Force officials also warned that maintaining the full fleet strains the supply of mechanics needed to maintain the newest planes.
The latest expansion suggests that these concerns have, for now, taken a back seat to preserving combat capability.
