The United States Air Force used one of its most versatile aircraft, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, during key missions in Operation Epic Fury — even tasking the venerable warplane for a maritime attack role. “The A-10 Warthog is now in the fight … hunting and killing [Iranian] fast-attack watercraft in the Straits of Hormuz,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, using the aircraft’s nickname during a Department of War news conference in March 2026 before operations paused for a two-week ceasefire.
The A-10 exemplifies the U.S. ability to deploy an array of aircraft rapidly and at scale — an ability unmatched among the world’s armed forces. The global projection of U.S. airpower, from strategic bombers and fighters to electronic warfare platforms, is enabled by airlift and refueling fleets, aircraft carrier strike groups, and an extensive network of overseas installations and Allied partnerships.
U.S. Central Command, responsible for conducting Operation Epic Fury, praised the
A-10’s performance on social media. In its original mission, the U.S. Air Force envisioned the
warplane destroying Soviet tanks in a European conflict. The A-10 then proved itself in close air support (CAS) and combat search and rescue (CSAR) roles in the Gulf War and Global War on Terror. “The brrrrrt of the A-10’s cannon was a defining sound for many veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” wrote Matt White in a June 2025 report for the military news website Task & Purpose.
Now, experts say, the Warthog’s use during 38 days of conflict in Iran shows that a warplane scheduled for retirement continues to fill an important role in modern warfare.
“The longer the A-10 exists, the more impressed I am with that aircraft,” Dan Grazier, a Stimson Center senior fellow and the director of its national security reform program, told the website Defense One in March 2026.
In addition to destroying Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz to protect shipping, the U.S. has used the A-10 to safeguard rescue operations of U.S. airmen. A task force of U.S. aircraft “audaciously penetrated enemy territory in broad daylight” to rescue the pilot of a downed U.S. F-15E fighter, Gen. Caine said at an April 2026 news conference. During the rescue, A-10s took part in a “close-in gunfight” with Iranian ground forces to keep them away from the operation, according to news website Business Insider. “The A-10 force and the rescue force did a fantastic job,” Gen. Caine said. Defense officials recently announced the U.S. Air Force will extend the A-10’s life until at least 2030.
“It’s just proof positive that when you design a weapon system that is stripped down and all the decisions that were made in the course of its design were all made for matters of military effectiveness, you get a really effective aircraft,” Grazier said.
The A-10 design is a study in “form follows function” effectiveness: The manufacturer Fairchild Republic built the aircraft around its powerful 30 mm GAU‑8/A Avenger Gatling Gun-style cannon that can fire up to 4,200 rounds per minute. The plane can also carry air-to-surface weapons, including guided munitions and Sidewinder missiles. Its large straight wings allow it to fly low and slow for extended times over the battlespace, and it can utilize rugged airfields. Designers further equipped the A-10 for survivability: It has redundant flight systems and a “bathtub” of titanium armor to protect the pilot.
“No other existing aircraft combines the combination of range, loiter time, destructive firepower, unique communications and rugged survivability necessary to execute the [CSAR] role,” Joel Bier, a retired U.S. Air Force Weapons School instructor pilot, wrote in the online defense publication National Interest.
The A-10 demonstrated its survivability during the mission to rescue the U.S. F-15E pilot. Iranian ground fire hit the A-10 primarily responsible for communicating with the downed aviator, Gen. Caine said, according to military news website The War Zone. The A-10 pilot “continued to fight, continued the mission and then upon exit, flew his aircraft into another country” where he determined the A-10 was not in condition to land, Gen Caine said. “The pilot then made the decision to eject over friendly territory and was quickly and safely recovered and is doing fine.”