Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, one of the largest operators of the A-10, retired its final airframe last month—but around 160 of the aircraft remain in service elsewhere.

Just over 50 years since the first A-10 Thunderbolt II was delivered for operational testing and pilot training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, the Fairchild Republic close air support (CAS) aircraft conducted its final flight from the base. No longer will residents of the Tucson area—or wildlife on the ground—hear the familiar growl of the famed tactical attack aircraft.

It was on March 2, 1976, that the first A-10 arrived at the base, assigned to the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. It made its final flight over the southern Arizona desert on July 19, bringing an end to the storied aircraft from Davis-Monthan AFB.

“It’s not a place. It’s not people. It’s a mindset,” said Chief Master Sgt. Dave Anderson Jr., 355th Operations Group senior enlisted leader. “Hopefully that attack mindset will continue to live on, and it will make every single Airman it touches, every single airframe it touches, every single organization it touches better.”

According to the United States Air Force, the farewell flight served as “both a celebration and a farewell,” as it honored an aircraft that was entirely synonymous with the 355th Wing “and its close air support mission.”

The service added that the A-10 hasn’t been just another Air Force weapons system, but it was a unique mindset, as Anderson suggested. No modern aircraft could do what the A-10—lovingly known as the “Warthog” by its pilots and maintainers—could do.

“We’ve always had A-10s on the ramp; for the last 50 years they’ve been on the ramp,” said Lt. Col. Rodney Dwyer, 355th Operations Group commander. “To see the sunshades get torn down, to see the jets divest, fewer and fewer A-10s out there … it’s definitely bittersweet.”

The closure of the A-10 wing at Davis-Monthan AFB does not spell the end for the Warthog. Around 160 of the aircraft are still operational at nine other airbases in the United States. Congress has required that at least 100 Warthogs remain operational through 2030; a pending piece of legislation, the “BRRRRT Act” co-sponsored by Reps. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) and Don Davis (D-NC), would increase this number to 126 and extend the timeframe.

The A-10 Warthog’s Specifications

• Year Introduced: 1977
• Number Built: ~716 (all variants)
• Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.16 m)
• Wingspan: 57 ft 6 in (17.42 m)
• Weight (MTOW): ~51,000 lb (23,132 kg)
• Engines: Two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans (~9,000–9,275 lbf thrust each)
• Top Speed: ~420 mph (675 km/h)
• Range: Combat radius ≈ 290 nmi (334 mi, 537 km); ferry range with tanks ~2,200 nmi (2,532 mi, 4,074 km)
• Service Ceiling: ~45,000 ft (13,700 m) — tactical employment almost always near ground level
• Loadout: GAU-8/A 30 mm rotary cannon (centerline); up to ~16,000 lb (7,260 kg) of external stores; loadout can include AGM-65 Mavericks, rocket pods, 2.75″ rockets/APKWS, JDAM/GBU kits, gun pods, flares/chaff, external tanks
• Aircrew: 1 (pilot)

The A-10 Warthog Defined the Post-Cold War Era

The rugged attack aircraft was developed in the late 1970s, when the United States military was still relying on the Korean War-era Douglas A-1 Skyraider as its primary ground-attack aircraft.

Between 1963 and 1969, extensive studies gradually refined the specifications for the new aircraft, and several prototypes were considered. In December 1972, Fairchild Republic’s A-10A Thunderbolt was deemed the winner, with GE chosen to produce the aircraft’s 30mm tank-busting GAU-8 gun, a powerful weapon with a very high muzzle velocity 20 times that of the 75mm gun fitted to some B-25s in World War II.

In addition, the 30mm gun, which used rotating barrels, offered an unparalleled rate of fire for an aircraft weapon. Able to fire up to 4,200 rounds per minute, no attack aircraft in history has ever mounted a gun with the tank-killing capability of the GAU-8.

Speed was never a priority for the Warthog. Instead, the aircraft was developed to loiter near battle areas for extended periods and operate at 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) or less with 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) of visibility. The A-10’s short takeoff and landing capability enabled it to operate from austere airstrips near the front lines, and its heavy armor allowed it to stand up to punishing ground fire and still complete its mission.

Although it was originally developed to tear through Soviet armored columns in Western Europe, the Thunderbolt II was first deployed during Operation Urgent Fury, the 1983 American invasion of Grenada. The A-10 provided air cover for US forces, where it proved effective at operating close to the front lines. However, the CAS aircraft faced virtually no resistance, and never fired its main gun in anger.

It wasn’t until the Gulf War in 1991 that the aircraft took part in combat operations. In that conflict, it performed far better than expected. In addition to numerous sorties against Iraqi Republican Guard units on the ground, Warthogs successfully shot down two Iraqi helicopters with the GAU-8. Although six A-10s were shot down by surface-to-air missiles, around 70 other Warthogs sustained battle damage and were able to return to base. Many underwent field repairs and quickly returned to service. The A-10’s performance record during the war also saw a 95.7 percent mission-capable rate, which led the Air Force to abandon a plan to replace the A-10s with a close air support version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The Warthog Isn’t Finished Yet

The Warthog was later employed with success in air support missions in Afghanistan and Iraq during the War on Terror. Apart from one that was shot down by an enemy missile near Baghdad in the opening stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom in April 2003, the A-10 proved darn near impossible to take out. No further aircraft were shot down during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Still, as the United States pivoted to great power competition, it was determined that the Thunderbolt II wouldn’t be well-suited to a conflict against a near-peer adversary with modern air defenses. That led the US Air Force to try to retire the aging warbird—repeatedly bringing them into clashes with lawmakers, who maintained that the Fairchild Republic aircraft still had some life left in it.

In hindsight, the lawmakers turned out to be right. The Air Force has increasingly deployed the A-10 to hotspots in the Middle East, where it has proven highly capable and effective. In this year’s Operation Epic Fury air campaign against Iran, A-10 Warthogs were actively deployed to target and destroy Iranian fast-attack boats and other small armed vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. A-10s were also involved in the search and rescue mission of “Dude 44,” the crew of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle, this spring. During that mission, one Thunderbolt II took fire from Iranian air defenses and suffered serious damage. However, the pilot was able to maneuver the damaged aircraft out of Iranian airspace near the Strait of Hormuz before ejecting safely over the Persian Gulf near Kuwait. That was the latest reminder of the Warthog’s toughness!

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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