U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft are now engaged in maritime interdiction operations along the southern flank of Operation Epic Fury, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said 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 said during a Pentagon briefing on the operation.
The announcement marks an expansion of the Warthog’s confirmed role in Epic Fury. On March 15, U.S. Central Command released imagery of A-10C Thunderbolt IIs receiving fuel in flight while supporting the operation, the first official visuals of the aircraft in the campaign.
“The A-10 Thunderbolt II can loiter for hours, standing by and ready to execute a mission whenever needed,” CENTCOM said in the accompanying post on X.
Designed for close air support, the A-10 was built to fly low, slow and close to the fight, providing direct fire support to ground forces and, increasingly, to joint forces operating in contested littoral environments. Its titanium-armored cockpit, often referred to as a “titanium bathtub,” and redundant flight systems allow it to absorb significant punishment and continue flying under conditions that would ground less hardened aircraft.
Armed with a 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon capable 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 long relied upon to threaten shipping in the strait’s confined littoral environment. Its loiter capability allows crews to maintain persistent overwatch in ways that faster platforms cannot.
In a March 16 video posted to CENTCOM’s official X account, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said U.S. forces had destroyed more than 100 Iranian naval vessels and stated, “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 supply transits the strait, according 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 minimum inventory of 103 A-10s through Sept. 30, 2026, and requiring detailed transition planning.
Pentagon officials have not released specific A-10 sortie or strike figures for the operation.