The USAF announced yesterday that it will extend the operational life of the A-10 THUNDERBOLT II until 2030, pushing back the retirement of the venerable "WARTHOG" by one year from the previously planned date of 2029. The decision is expected to affect, for the time being, only 2 squadrons, and comes just days after the graduation ceremony of the last class of A-10 pilots trained at Davis-Monthan AFB.

The decision follows the A-10's deployment during Operation EPIC FURY across a wide range of missions: counter-drone (C-UAV) operations against Iranian drones in Syrian and Iraqi airspace, with the aircraft equipped with APKWS laser-guided rockets; ground attack missions against Iranian-backed Iraqi Shia militias and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) positions along the Persian Gulf coast (configured with AGM-65 MAVERICK air-to-surface missiles); interdiction against IRGC Navy suicide boats and Fast Attack Craft (FAC) in Gulf waters; and, finally, Close Air Support (CAS) during the Combat SAR (Search and Rescue) operation to recover the pilot and weapon systems officer of the American F-15E shot down over Iran. It should be noted that approximately 30 A-10 THUNDERBOLT IIs are currently deployed in theatre at the Jordanian base of Muwaffaq Salti.

In recent weeks, the USAF has also certified in record time a new capability for the A-10, developed in response to an urgent operational requirement: a Probe Refueling Adapter installed in the refuelling receptacle on the aircraft's nose, converting the standard receptacle-based system to a probe-and-drogue configuration, allowing in-flight refuelling from C-130-based tankers such as the HC-130J and MC-130J (or the USMC and US Navy KC-130s). As noted, the development addresses an urgent requirement: with the KC-10 retired from service and KC-46 certification for the A-10 still pending due to technical issues, the aircraft had been left dependent on the KC-135 alone. C-130-based tankers operate at altitudes and speeds more compatible with the A-10's mission profile, and integrate more effectively with the CAS and Combat SAR packages — particularly the rotary-wing component — in which the WARTHOG is employed, while also providing greater persistence for C-UAV missions.

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