Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced April 20, 2026, that the A-10C Thunderbolt II will remain in service through 2030, reversing a retirement deadline set to conclude in 2029.
In consultation with @SecWar, we will EXTEND the A-10 “Warthog” platform to 2030. This preserves combat power as the Defense Industrial Base works to increase combat aircraft production.
Thank you to @POTUS for your unwavering support of our warfighters and quick, decisive… pic.twitter.com/zn1l3OshdY
— Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (@SecAFOfficial) April 20, 2026
One active-duty squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and one reserve squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, will be extended to 2030. A second active-duty squadron at Moody continues through 2029.
Each squadron retains 18 aircraft, totaling 54 A-10Cs through 2029, declining to 36 by 2030. “The Air Force will use a fleet management strategy to keep A-10s with the longest serviceable life available throughout the extension,” an Air Force spokesperson said.
The decision came weeks after the Air Force closed the A-10’s primary repair facility. On February 12, 2026, the service held a “Hawg Out” ceremony at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, deactivating the 571st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and ending Ogden Air Logistics Complex’s A-10 depot mission, handling structural repairs and overhauls since 1998.
✈️Closing a defining chapter in @usairforce history! After several decades of sustaining one of the Air Force’s most iconic aircraft, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex is preparing to send off its final A‑10 Thunderbolt II. #OneAFMC @HAFBhttps://t.co/0eusPQ0eLP pic.twitter.com/w0YLDpUxGL
— U.S. Air Force Materiel Command ✈️ (@HQ_AFMC) February 21, 2026
BRRRT! Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill AFB is preparing to send off its final A-10 Thunderbolt II, marking the end an era for the 571st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.https://t.co/WgmL8mQNXN
— Hill Air Force Base (@HAFB) February 19, 2026
The extension follows A-10 combat operations in Operation Epic Fury. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine confirmed at a March 19 Pentagon briefing that A-10s engaged Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz.
The aircraft flew in “Sandy” roles, the Air Force’s combat search-and-rescue call sign from Vietnam, supporting the April 3 recovery of two downed F-15E Strike Eagle airmen, though one A-10C was lost and its pilot ejected over friendly territory.
The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) had required at least 103 A-10s through September 2026, with retirement set for 2029.
“In consultation with Secretary Hegseth, we will EXTEND the A-10 ‘Warthog’ platform to 2030,” Meink wrote on X, adding the move “preserves combat power as the Defense Industrial Base works to increase combat aircraft production.”
Long live the Warthog. https://t.co/D5TRMIXAFF
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 20, 2026
Hegseth replied “Long live the Warthog.”
