Air Force Looking to Speed Up Retirement of A-10

New budget calls for complete phaseout of ‘Warthog’ in 2027.

Zach Vasile

Friday, June 27, 2025 at 03:17 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An A-10 Thunderbolt II [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force is accelerating plans to retire its entire A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" fleet by 2027, with President Trump's FY2026 budget request including $57 million for this purpose.
The Air Force cites the A-10's age (40-50 years old) and vulnerability to modern air defense systems as reasons for its expedited phase-out.
The retirement is controversial, as critics in the military and Congress argue that no other aircraft, including the F-35, can match the A-10's close air support capabilities, and that the F-35 replacement option is more costly.

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The U.S. Air Force is reportedly speeding up plans to retire the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, better known as the “Warthog,” and could phase out the entire fleet by 2027.

According to FlightGlobal, President Donald Trump’s budget request for the 2026 fiscal year includes $57 million to support the retirement of all 162 remaining Air Force Warthogs. The outlet cited senior Pentagon officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.