The Air Force has spent years trying to scrap the Cold War-era A-10 Warthog. Now the ground attack jet is hunting and killing Iranian fast attack craft in one of the world’s most strategic waterways.
The Pentagon has deployed A-10 Warthog ground attack jets and Apache attack helicopters to the Strait of Hormuz, where the aircraft are targeting Iranian fast attack craft and intercepting one-way drones as part of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran, the nation’s top military officer confirmed Wednesday.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed on March 19 that Fairchild Republic A-10 fighters and Boeing AH-64E attack helicopters are now flying combat missions over the strategic waterway off Iran’s southern coast.
“The A-10 Warthog is now in the fight across the southern flank and is hunting and killing fast attack watercraft in the Straits of Hormuz,” Caine said.
Apache helicopters from both U.S. forces and regional allies are also patrolling the southern flank of the two-pronged campaign, Caine added. Beyond striking maritime targets, the AH-64s are being used to intercept Iranian one-way attack drones that have hit airports, critical energy facilities, and American military bases in multiple Persian Gulf nations.
U.S. Army Apaches have additionally carried out strikes against Iranian-aligned militia groups in Iraq, Caine said.
“We remain focused on pursuit of any platform that Iran could field to harm Americans or our partners,” he said.
Within the U.S. military, only the Army operates the Apache. Several Gulf nations field sizeable AH-64 fleets: the United Arab Emirates operates 30, Qatar 24, and Saudi Arabia 22.
Last week, a U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker crashed in western Iraq. The Pentagon said enemy activity was not a factor in the incident.
A Jet the Air Force Has Been Trying to Retire
The A-10’s return to frontline combat is the latest chapter in a long-running debate over the future of an aircraft the Air Force has repeatedly tried — and repeatedly failed — to eliminate from its inventory.
Originally produced in 1972, the A-10 and its distinctive titanium “bathtub” cockpit were engineered to survive direct fire from air defense guns and anti-aircraft artillery while engaging targets at low altitude. Its General Dynamics 30mm GAU-8A Avenger cannon was designed specifically to destroy Soviet tanks during the Cold War.
For years, Air Force leadership pushed to retire the jet, describing it as costly to maintain, unable to survive against modern threats, and ill-suited for contemporary combat. Those efforts were repeatedly blocked by Congress, driven largely by testimony from ground combat troops who credited the A-10 with providing life-saving close air support during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Congress finally authorized the Air Force to begin phased A-10 retirements in 2023. Fleet reductions in subsequent years cut the inventory from a high of 283 jets that year to the current level of 145. Air Force budget documents for 2026 call for the entire remaining Warthog fleet to be phased out by 2027.
Current and former A-10 pilots have consistently pushed back against those plans, arguing that no other dedicated ground attack aircraft exists in the U.S. Air Force inventory.
A Pilot’s Prediction Comes True
Retired Air Force Col. Kim Campbell, who made aviation history in 2003 when she landed a severely damaged A-10 without hydraulic power during the invasion of Iraq, has been among the Warthog’s most prominent defenders.
In a 2023 interview with FlightGlobal, Campbell argued that the A-10’s lack of design features suited for high-end, near-peer combat does not render its close air support capability obsolete.
“If there are ground forces on the ground, and we move beyond the initial stages of the conflict, there is going to be a role for a ground support platform in some way,” she said.
Campbell predicted that once more survivable aircraft — such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter and the Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber — had suppressed enemy air defenses and secured at least localized air superiority, the A-10 would be able to enter the fight.
“If we are going to be effective then those are things that we need, but that doesn’t mean that that is not going to happen down the road in any stage of peer to near peer conflict,” Campbell said.
Her assessment has proven accurate in the Iran air war, which the Pentagon is calling Operation Epic Fury. The campaign opened on Feb. 28 with long-range strikes using air- and sea-launched cruise missiles and B-2 stealth bombers. By March 4, Caine declared that the U.S. had achieved “localised air superiority across the southern flank of the Iranian coast.” Roughly two weeks later, the A-10 entered combat — just as Campbell predicted.
The Warthog’s latest deployment continues a recent pattern of the jet being called back into action. In recent years, A-10s have conducted strikes in Syria and escorted U.S. ballistic missile submarines during coastal transit operations.
Whether this newest tour of duty will alter the aircraft’s scheduled retirement remains unclear. Air Force budget documents for 2026 call for the entire remaining fleet to be retired by 2027.
Key Takeaways
- The Pentagon confirmed March 19 that A-10 Warthog jets and AH-64E Apache helicopters are conducting combat operations over the Strait of Hormuz as part of Operation Epic Fury, targeting Iranian fast attack vessels and one-way drones.
- U.S. Army Apaches have also struck Iranian-aligned militia groups in Iraq; Gulf allies including the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are contributing AH-64 forces to the southern flank.
- The A-10 fleet has shrunk from 283 aircraft in 2023 to 145 today, with the Air Force’s 2026 budget calling for full retirement by 2027 — even as the jet performs active combat missions.
- Retired Col. Kim Campbell’s 2023 prediction — that the A-10 would re-enter combat once stealth aircraft established localized air superiority — has proven accurate in the Iran campaign.
