A-10C Thunderbolt II
OEM: Fairchild Republic / Lockheed Martin (sustainment)
First Produced: 1977
Status: Active
Role: Close air support attack aircraft
Primary Operator: U.S. Air Force (divesting)
OEM Website: lockheedmartin.com
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, universally known as the Warthog, is a twin-engine subsonic attack aircraft built around the 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger rotary cannon. Originally designed to kill Warsaw Pact armor in a European land war, the A-10 became the U.S. Air Force's most beloved close-air-support platform across two decades of counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The A-10C Precision Engagement upgrade added digital cockpits, targeting pods, and precision weapons. The Air Force has repeatedly sought to retire the fleet; in the FY2024–26 budgets Congress finally authorized divestment, with the full fleet scheduled to retire by roughly 2028–29 as F-35A and F-15EX formations absorb the CAS mission.
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