U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II assault plane are actually engaged in maritime interdiction operations alongside the southern flank of Operation Epic Fury, concentrating on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff mentioned Thursday.
“The A-10 Warthog is now engaged across the southern flank, targeting fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz,” Air Force Gen. Dan Caine mentioned throughout a Pentagon briefing on the operation.
The announcement marks an growth of the Warthog’s confirmed position in Epic Fury. On March 15, U.S. Central Command released imagery of A-10C Thunderbolt IIs receiving fuel in flight whereas supporting the operation, the primary official visuals of the plane in the marketing campaign.
“The A-10 Thunderbolt II can loiter for hours, standing by and ready to execute a mission whenever needed,” CENTCOM mentioned in the accompanying publish on X.
Designed for shut air help, the A-10 was constructed to fly low, sluggish and near the struggle, offering direct fireplace help to floor forces and, more and more, to joint forces working in contested littoral environments. Its titanium-armored cockpit, sometimes called a “titanium bathtub,” and redundant flight methods permit it to soak up vital punishment and proceed flying below circumstances that might floor much less hardened plane.
Armed with a 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon succesful of firing 3,900 rounds per minute, AGM-65 Maverick missiles and APKWS laser-guided rockets, the A-10 can engage the small, agile surface craft the IRGC Navy has lengthy relied upon to threaten delivery in the strait’s confined littoral surroundings. Its loiter functionality permits crews to take care of persistent overwatch in ways in which sooner platforms can not.
In a March 16 video posted to CENTCOM’s official X account, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper mentioned U.S. forces had destroyed greater than 100 Iranian naval vessels and said, “We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.”
Roughly 20% of the world’s oil provide transits the strait, in response to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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The A-10’s deployment in Epic Fury comes as Congress has moved to protect the platform from Air Force divestment efforts.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 blocked the service’s plan to retire the remaining fleet, mandating a minimal stock of 103 A-10s by means of Sept. 30, 2026, and requiring detailed transition planning.
Pentagon officers haven’t launched particular A-10 sortie or strike figures for the operation.
