Bringing the BRRRRRRRT to the Persian Gulf
Back By Popular Demand
A-10 Warthogs target Iranian fast-attack craft in Strait of Hormuz
By Michael Scanlon
U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft are now engaged in maritime interdiction operations along the southern flank of Operation Epic Fury, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday.
“The A-10 Warthog is now engaged across the southern flank, targeting fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz,” Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said during a Pentagon briefing on the operation.
The announcement marks an expansion of the Warthog’s confirmed role in Epic Fury. On March 15, U.S. Central Command released imagery of A-10C Thunderbolt IIs receiving fuel in flight while supporting the operation, the first official visuals of the aircraft in the campaign.
“The A-10 Thunderbolt II can loiter for hours, standing by and ready to execute a mission whenever needed,” CENTCOM said in the accompanying post on X.
Designed for close air support, the A-10 was built to fly low, slow and close to the fight, providing direct fire support to ground forces and, increasingly, to joint forces operating in contested littoral environments. Its titanium-armored cockpit, often referred to as a “titanium bathtub,” and redundant flight systems allow it to absorb significant punishment and continue flying under conditions that would ground less hardened aircraft.
Armed with a 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon capable of firing 3,900 rounds per minute, AGM-65 Maverick missiles and APKWS laser-guided rockets, the A-10 can engage the small, agile surface craft the IRGC Navy has long relied upon to threaten shipping in the strait’s confined littoral environment. Its loiter capability allows crews to maintain persistent overwatch in ways that faster platforms cannot.
The airspace over the area is secure enough for Warthogs and Apache helos to join the fray. Both are very bad news for the locals, and the A-10 can loiter on-station to attack targets of opportunity. Park a P-8 on top with it’s radar and EO/IR capabilities to birddog the targets and watch the Iranians stay home in droves.
Or not. Brrrrrt!
Category: Blue Skies, Iran
Flounder checking in…
I have a meme for that……
The IR version of the AGM-65, would be really useful at night.
Just leaving this here:
I find it amusing that the Air Force has asked for many years now to retire the A-10, in favor of some variant of fast mover, and with every conflict the old Hogs get called back into the game.
They are fabulous when fighting an enemy with no Air Force and no ground to air capabilities.
Well, we used P-51s for CAS in Korea, and the A-10 seemed to be pretty useful in Iraq. And we seem to have been in several fights with enemies with no AF and no ground to air where the A-10 proved useful. I am also pretty sure the A-10 is more survivable than an Apache or any other helicopter.
Why do these A-Holes Air-Force higher ups want to fix something that isn’t broken unless maybe they get wined, dined and pocket lined with a lot moola shmoola kickbacks.as Curtis Sliwa used to say.
Trump saved it from retirement in 2017, ordered it retired in 2025 now Unretired again. At this point it is like flying WWII air craft in Desert Storm…. but if it works, it works.