Posted on 07/22/2025 6:46:09 AM PDT by Red Badger
A combination of budget constraints, strategic realignment, and the evolution of warfare in the decades since the A-10’s debut has contributed to the aircraft’s retirement. After four decades of service, the renowned A-10 Warthog is finally slated for full retirement. After years of indecision, the US Air Force now plans to retire the A-10 fleet before the end of FY2026. The last A-10 is expected to make its last flight before October 2026, a sad day in aviation that will mark the end of an aircraft that aviation enthusiasts and ground troops alike have adored for a generation.
The A-10 Warthog Is Still a Capable Fighter Despite finally being slated for retirement, the A-10 is now, and has been since its inception, the world’s most capable close air support (CAS) aircraft. Built to survive, loiter, and destroy, the A-10 has gained nearly legendary status for its ability to both absorb and dole out damage. With a titanium “bathtub” encasing the pilot and redundant flight systems, the A-10 has been known to survive significant damage, even having a wing sheared off, and still return the pilot safely back to base.
With a massive 30-mm GAU-8/A Avenger rotary cannon, capable of firing Pepsi can-sized depleted uranium rounds at a 70-round-per-second rate, the A-10 is fully capable of destroying tanks and armored vehicles. Paired with the ability to fly low and slow, almost like a helicopter, for extended periods over a battle space, the A-10 has rightfully earned a reputation as the world’s best CAS aircraft.
Indeed, the A-10 proved itself during the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Afghanistan War, thriving in the desert environment and serving as an invaluable asset in protecting American troops on the ground and engaging the enemy in complex and close-quarters situations. The A-10 was so effective that many proponents argued for its continued use, even as the technology became outdated and the Air Force shifted toward newer, more advanced aircraft.
The A-10 Warthog Lacks Stealth Features However, after years of delaying the inevitable, the A-10 is finally slated for retirement. A combination of budget constraints, strategic realignment, and the evolution of warfare in the decades since the A-10’s debut has contributed to the aircraft’s retirement.
The A-10 is not a stealth fighter and would struggle to survive in contested environments against modern air defense systems. In addition, the United States is pivoting away from conflict with third-world countries where the US Air Force has complete air superiority, thereby allowing the A-10 to operate without consequence despite its lack of stealth characteristics. The US Air Force is preparing for conflict with near-peer adversaries that possess air defense systems capable of rendering the non-stealth, subsonic A-10 ineffective.
The A-10 retirement process is already underway. Congress, which had previously blocked attempts to divest the platform, citing concerns over CAS capability gaps (there is no A-10 equivalent), finally began approving limited A-10 retirements.
As a result, the Air Force has been gradually drawing down its fleet. The phase-out process will continue through FY2026, when the last of the 162 remaining A-10s will be stood down.
About the Author: Harrison Kass Harrison Kass is a Senior Defense and National Security Writer at The National Interest. Kass is an attorney and former political candidate who joined the US Air Force as a pilot trainee before being medically discharged. He focuses on military strategy, aerospace, and global security affairs. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global Journalism and International Relations from NYU.
I'm not discounting your larger point.
However, I'm guessing we are years away from having a cheap drone that will fly 7,000 miles and drop a 30,000 pound bomb. Of course that has nothing to do with the A10.
Rapid fire machine guns did not eliminate the necessity of having infantry. But infantry requires an effective combined arms approach to avoid massive casualties.
Neither Ukraine or Russia seems to have an effective combined arms capability so they are struggling. And they are grasping for asymmetrical solutions.
No doubt they are killing a lot of humans and I don't say that lightly. It is a bad thing.
At a former employer defense subcontractor I used to work for in the 80’s got a contract for a certain maintenance system on the C-130 or some other aircraft. It was supposed to measure hydraulic fluid (?) temperature, pressure, flow, and have Go/No Go and Warning lights if anything out of normal were to come up. It also did other things like monitor rpms of pumps and heat etc.
Anyways, the engineer assigned the design task came up with a brilliant design. He used DIGITAL technology and sensors and this new thing called a MICROPROCESSOR to do all the tasks they asked for, quickly and accurately.
It was about the size of a school kid’s lunch box with a cable attached.
The cost was very minimal and could be produced quickly and repaired easily.
When the AF Brass came to see the new ‘system’ they were adamantly opposed to it.
They wanted some big rack-mounted hardware system that would have costed hundreds of thousands of dollars and been the size of a bread truck.
THEY TURNED IT DOWN FLAT......................
Who says it has to be a drone that flies 7000 miles and drops bombs, remotely piloted aircraft or AI powered aircraft are in some ways here right now, the USAF is or has tested F-15s and F-16s that are pilotless.
The Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter is rumored to have a pilotless option being built into it.
Rapid Fire Machine guns may not have eliminated the infantry, but they sure caused massive casualties until effective counter measures were developed.
I worked the Nellis AFB, Range 63 for the A-10 OT&E.
The A-10 was first judged to be a “POS, with a self-jamming cannon” when the tests started.
At the time, the A-7D was the ground pounder. Just same, after million$ in modification we now have the A-10 - a Vietnam-era plane. Maybe they can give them to the Ukes?
It was kinda in jest. But wouldn’t it be fun to have one at a general aviation field. Stripped of armaments I bet it’s a pretty short takeoff roll!
Taking out that gattling gun would really upset the weight and balance though ...
Why not cobble a remote control system to the hardened A10s. They could serve as a bomb/missile truck without risking a pilot.
We have about 200 A10s with new wings that are bought and paid for. But maybe it would cost less to buy the cheap F35As at 82 million dollars a copy or the new prop crop duster for 20 to 30 millions each.
Don't take it out. Just get the Class III stamp. If you can afford the airplane, you can afford the tax stamp and the ammunition. (maybe not a lot of the latter- might have to home load)
Just saw their show at Oshkosh a few minutes ago.
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Transfer them to the Army reserve and selected Air National Guards. Marine Corps can’t use them unless the wings fold or detach and transported in C-130s.
Except for the awards presentation ceremonies, those Air Force pilots really enjoyed them.
There's a reason the M1911 is still kept in some arms rooms.
Not to mention the numbers in the possession of every E-7 and up in the area.
Those very same people could just happen to "find" all sorts of useful things and squirrel them away for stormy weather.
I still marvel at the memories of the stuff I'd find in the back of our maintenance locker all those years ago.......until I made E-7 and did my level best to exceed the Old Guys.
Locate, comshaw and hide an operational A-10? Hardest part of that deal is fighting off all the guys want to fly it. (Including me...) The rest is just allocation of available resources and keepin' the paperwork squared away.
You say one A-10 costs about 82 million to build and who knows how much to maintain ??
For 82 million you could build hundreds if not thousands of suicide drone with maintenance that costs pennies in comparison
Yes, you will need conventional aircraft in modern warfare but I’m just pointing out that drones and other pilotless aircraft are the immediate future for a lot of reasons
There IS no better battle support plane in the history of the US Armed Forces. The cost per plane alone should keep it in the tool kit for decades.
Until blocking signals to the drones reaches a place where they no longer are effective.
You misunderstood and imaged more.
The 82 million was cited as the cost of an F35A. I was being sarcastic when I suggested that would be cheaper than maintaining the current A10s that are already bought and paid for.
The 35 moonpig is utterly outclassed by the A-10 and Harrier as ground attack. And anyone remember when the Air Force secretary suggested a B-1b was a great close airport platform?
But it would have been entertaining/terrifying/hilarious to hang a few gun pods on and watch that beast rolling in with guns blazing.
My point still remains it’s far cheaper and probably more effective to build an equivalent number of drones than building or maintaining an older generation of aircraft who were extremely effective and still are capable aircraft
There hasn’t been an A-10 shot down in 23 years. That’s better than 2 minutes.
I got to watch them from a distance swooping over Fallujah, dropping things off back in the fall of ‘04. The distant popping sounds were eerily interesting too. We said lots of prayers.
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