A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft from the 107th Fighter Squadron are flying in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility with a new Probe Refueling Adapter and the Angry Kitten electronic warfare (EW) pod, according to U.S. Air Force imagery captured May 9 and released May 21.
The Probe Refueling Adapter was developed by the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center (AATC) in response to an “urgent combatant command requirement.” The adapter installs over the aircraft’s existing nose receptacle, converting it from boom to probe-and-drogue refueling. Flight-line crews can fit it in hours without depot maintenance.
Speed Meets Innovation
Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command Test Center teams delivered a probe refueling adapter for the A-10 Thunderbolt II — enabling refueling from C-130 Hercules and extending the fight.
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— Air National Guard (@AirNatlGuard) April 14, 2026
The system went from its first successful aerial refueling test on April 2 to CENTCOM operational deployment in just over a month. “Nothing was shortcut or compromised from a technical or safety standpoint,” Lt. Col. Luke Hayman said. “We just accelerated every step we could.”
With the KC-10 Extender retired and the KC-46 Pegasus unable to boom-refuel the A-10 due to a known stiff boom deficiency, deployed Warthogs had been limited to KC-135 Stratotankers. The adapter adds HC-130J Combat King IIs, MC-130 Commando IIs, and Marine Corps KC-130s to the tanker pool, and enables KC-46 drogue refueling.
The imagery also shows the A-10s carrying the Angry Kitten pod, a system from the Georgia Tech Research Institute based on Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) technology that deceives enemy radars by recording and retransmitting their signals.
The pod debuted in combat on F-16 Fighting Falcons flying Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) missions during Operation Epic Fury. This marks its first confirmed deployment on an A-10 in a combat zone.
The HC-130J, now the A-10’s probe tanker in theater, is also the platform the Air Force is testing for near-real-time Angry Kitten software updates via satellite.
