Commentary
Despite Air Force claims that the A-10 has no place on the modern battlefield, a claim they have been making for decades, the A-10 is once again using its unmatched versatility and loitering capability to destroy fast-attack watercraft, drones, and enemy positions. And for the role it is performing in Operation Epic Fury, the Warthog is vastly superior to any F-35, F-15, F-16, B-2, or even the most advanced drone in the U.S. arsenal.
While somewhat sleek, high-flying stealth fighters such as the maintenance-heavy F-35 dominate the Air Force budget, it is the A-10 Thunderbolt II that the Air Force is being forced to rely on to take the fight to the enemy’s backyard in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command has confirmed that A-10s are destroying Revolutionary Guard Corps fast-attack boats, shooting Shahed-style drones out of the sky, and striking ground targets. …