The BRRRRRRT! Lives On
Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
US Air Force extends A-10 Warthog through 2030
By Michael Scanlon
The United States Air Force is going to keep the A-10 Warthog in service through 2030, Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink announced Monday on X, reversing a retirement timeline set to conclude in 2029.
“In consultation with [Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth], we will EXTEND the A-10 ‘Warthog’ platform to 2030,” Meink wrote. “This preserves combat power as the Defense Industrial Base works to increase combat aircraft production.”
The decision comes as A-10s have seen increased involvement during Operation Epic Fury in Iran.
A-10s have provided close air support in maritime operations in the Strait of Hormuz and were involved in the recent search and rescue mission that recovered two downed F-15E airmen.
One A-10 Thunderbolt II crashed during that mission. The pilot was subsequently rescued.
The fiscal 2026 NDAA called for 103 A-10s to remain in service through September 2026, with a transition to full retirement by 2029.
It remains unclear how many A-10s will remain in service through 2030.
Meink thanked President Donald Trump for “quick, decisive leadership” and said “more to come.”
Category: Air Force, Big Pentagon, Trump!
A-10’s and B-52’s will always be.
So let it be written.
So let it be done.
Amen!!
Designs so good, you’d think they were created by St. John Moses Browning himself.
I was going to say that the A10 is the 1911 of the air battle platforms.
My dad’s B-17G with 13 of his M2’s would agree.
The A10 is a one trick pony but it does that trick oh so well.
Since it will be 50 this year it would be like having P 47 Thunderbolts serving in in the first Iraq war in 1992.
I have to wonder why not make new ones? Why replace the A10? Why not make new ones to replace the A10’s that are beyond repair? The bean counters would say because the enemies have made new planes and the old planes can’t keep up. So, again, why not make new ones with updated gizmos? The B-52’s have lots of different doo-dads they didn’t have when they were first made, and since they work, they work. It takes years of design and testing to take a plane from idea through drawings and testing to actually taking flight. Why the insistence on reinventing the wheel?
From what I hear, the tooling is long since scrapped.
I forgot about that. Tooling can be sooooo expensive. Years ago a customer wanted a custom part. I told him the part would cost him $100.00 each but the tooling to make the part would cost him thousands of dollars. He had to understand he was the only one that wanted the part and the tooling was only to make his part. I made no profit on the tooling. He had to decide how badly he wanted it.
We’re still flying C-130s.
If the P47 would’ve still been effective, we probably would’ve kept them. 50 years old? It’s just a kid. The last B-52 built is 63.
Is there a replacement platform in the works?
I have yet to see one that will do what the A-10 can do when we have air supremacy. Seems like they should be held in reserve for just such a situation. Nothing says “kill them all and let God sort them out” like that Gatling style gun.
Sometimes, the right tool is low and slow, with a humongous BRRRRT.
Like this.