The A-10 Warthog, or Thunderbolt II, is no other fighter plane. Decades after the 1970s, it has earned the respect of pilots and troops alike as being so durable, so resilient, and for that 30mm cannon, so legendary, with which tanks are so easily annihilated. Designed to weather punishment and guard the ground troops, the Warthog has been the close air support workhorse. But after decades of war service and hot controversy, the Air Force is steadfastly committed to the retirement of this old bird. It’s not just pulling a chunk of equipment out of the sky—this is a larger change in how the military plans to project air power.
The rate of retirement caught some off guard. The Air Force is planning to retire the rest of the 162 A-10s by the end of fiscal year 2026, two years ahead of schedule, at an estimated cost of approximately $57 million. In 2024 alone, nearly 40 Warthogs were sent to the aircraft “boneyard” in Arizona—nearly double that of the previous year. In the course of a single year, the entire half of the fleet was stored in warehouses, the majority over half of which could not fly.
Congress had been fighting to phase out the Warthog for years, but pressure has subsided. The 2025 defense spending bill reduced the minimum number of available A-10s from 135 to 96, a sign that priorities are moving away. The 2026 Air Force budget also indicates deeper reductions across aircraft fleets, phasing out the A-10 gaining most attention.
Why retire such a legendary aircraft? The short reason is, war is evolving. The A-10 excels at low-intensity, low-altitude war, but Air Force leaders opine it would be vulnerable to all-new wars with next-generation air defenses clogging the skies. The service is more and more obsessed with stealthy, multi-mission fighter aircraft and unmanned vehicles that can fight in these more lethal environments.
The change has upended apple carts. The F-35 Lightning II is destined to take the place of the Warthog, in theory, but few believe it can accomplish as much. Criticisms indicate that the F-35 is armed with fewer guns, does not have an A-10-style elephant gun, and is not configured for low-level, close-in support that made the Warthog a legend.
Tests indicate that the two jets perform similarly in close air support, but the pilots of the F-35 are trained differently, and this has raised concerns that there is an excellent set of skills being lost that the A-10 honed over the years.
The retirement is already affecting the Air Force. Davis-Monthan’s 354th Fighter Squadron, which has several A-10s, closed last month after retiring all 36 aircraft. In Maryland, the Air National Guard’s 175th Fighter Wing is converting from flying Warthogs to cyber warfare, a move that has been criticized by veterans and local leaders concerned about the loss of veteran pilots and erosion of local connections.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is changing, too. A base that competed with the Warthog, the base will now be home to special operators and newer aircraft such as the OA-1K Sky Warden and MC-130J Commando II. The EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft will also be based there. Pilots are moving into planes such as the F-35, with commanders saying aircraft come and go, but good members stick.
With retirement on the horizon, A-10s continue to roll up combat hours. In January 2025, the 124th Fighter Wing sent Warthogs and dozens of airmen to the Middle East to fly missions in support of Iraq and Syria and missions against ISIS. They’ve also been flown in Yemen strikes, demonstrating the A-10 has some good years still left before it, even with its own service life expiring.
In the coming years, the Air Force is definitely reprioritizing. The 2026 budget cuts F-35 acquisitions from 74 to 47 planes but spends billions on constructing 21 new F-15EX Eagle IIs and on designing the next-generation F-47 air-superiority fighter. Notably, there are huge investments in stealth bombers, next-generation missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle technology as well. It’s all about being flexible, survivable, and ahead with the best tech.
Riding off into the sunset, the A-10 is more than giving an airplane a well-deserved retirement—it is the end of an iconic chapter of air-to-air combat history. The Warthog’s image as a rugged, gun-toting airplane with battle-tested close air support will never be lost, even as the Air Force looks to new gear and an evolving battlefield.