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 The A-10 was so effective that many proponents argued for its continued use, even as the technology became outdated and the Air Force shifted toward newer, more advanced aircraft.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.
To some degree that is already happening, the Ukrainian Drones that took out the Russian Strategic Bombers deep inside Russia supposedly had an AI type of intelligence, they were programmed to look for a particular type of plane and where to hit the plane to permanently disable it.
Agree. Not enough high ranking Warthog drivers. The Air Force is run by the fast moving fighter pilots.
Coke? In the 8oz cans.
The badass quotient would drop to zero, though
Was climbing Mount Washington years ago and spotted a couple A-10s screeching around the peaks and through the narrow valleys - pretty cool sight and sound on a cloudless, silent afternoon in New Hampshire.
doubt that, mah
nice try tho
Anyone who says this has no understanding of basic combined forces doctrine. First establish air superiority. Then put in CAS. The CAS doesn’t need stealth. It needs to be able to loiter, take hits, and wipe out enemy ground forces esp armor. The A-10 still fits that bill.
One has to wonder if those old Warthogs will be coming out of retirement eventually.
I *like* that idea!!!
Are you still fighting the last war?
They need to evaluate its utility as a drone interceptor. And while they talk about “near-peer” they seem to be ignoring homeland defense. Wolverines!!!
If that is true, then attack helicopters are even more obsolete because they also lack any stealth component, but also are much less durable, and more likely to be taken out by a drone.
But I believe the truth is that while that may be true in high-intensity conflicts against near peer adversaries equipped with large numbers of anti-aircraft drones in a particular area, it's a real stretch to assume that will be all or even most combat situations.
Drones capable of taking out an airplane are much more expensive and sophisticated than those that attack ground targets.
Their ideal is to provide close air support from space.
Didn’t the US just spend a fortune updating the A10?
I’ve been joking about Terminators and Skynet are real, I think the future of warfare, will be a distributed network of AI based supercomputers, monitoring millions of data points, everything from video feeds, phone calls, encrypted messages, emails, etc....while controlling potentially millions of weapon systems.
It may not happen in 5-10 years but in reality, Terminators and Skynet is not that far away.
“Send in the Hogs”. Best scene in any Transformer movie was the A-10s and an AC-130 taking on Scorponok.
BRAVE AI:
US A10 Upgrade Cost
As of July 22, 2025, the U.S. Air Force has indeed invested significantly in upgrading the A-10 Thunderbolt II over the past decade, including cockpit modernization, new weapons integration, and survivability enhancements.
However, despite these investments, the Air Force is now proceeding with the full retirement of the A-10 fleet by the end of FY2026, indicating that the upgrades were intended to extend the aircraft’s service life only temporarily.
Key upgrades included:
Installation of the Lightweight Airborne Recovery System (LARS) V-12 to improve communication for combat search and rescue missions.
Integration of guided ordnance like the AGR-20 APKWS rockets and enhanced night vision capabilities.
A major wing replacement program under the TUSK initiative, allowing the aircraft to remain operational until around 2035 if needed.
Despite these improvements, the A-10 is being phased out due to its vulnerability in modern combat environments and the strategic shift toward more advanced, stealth-capable platforms like the F-35.
Some A-10s were initially slated to remain in service beyond 2026, but the final decision has moved forward the retirement timeline.
Famed Stuka pilot Hans Ulrich-Rudel was a consultant in the development of the A-10. Him being an unrepentant Nazi did not matter when NATO was facing potentially thousands of tanks heading to the Rhine.
AGAIN???
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