Two shark mouth-marked A-10s from the 74th Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB have been flown to the Middle East via RAF Rakenheath, possibly replacing Warthogs lost during the CSAR mission over Iran.
Two A-10C Thunderbolt IIs are heading to the Middle East, joining aircraft already deployed there. Interestingly, this aircraft belongs to the 74th Fighter Squadron “Flying Tigers” at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia and sports a distinctive shark mouth.
The 74th FS is part of the 23rd Fighter Group, along with the 75th FS, and is currently the only unit allowed to paint shark mouths on its aircraft. This is due to the unit’s heritage as a descendant of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” of World War II, which adopted this marking on its P-40B fighter planes in 1941.
More A-10s heading east
The two A-10s arrived at RAF Lakenheath, England, on 17 April 2026, supported by a single KC-135R Stratotanker flying as ROMA21 with call signs TREND 71 and 72. The aircraft departed again on April 20 with the same call sign, supported by a KC-135R designated BORA23 operating at Istr-Le Tuve Air Base, France.
In particular, this pericell is much smaller than usual. In fact, previous deployments typically involved 10 to 12 aircraft flying together across the Atlantic to Europe and later the Middle East.
It should be noted that the Warthog (as the aircraft is nicknamed in the fighter pilot community) was lost during a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission to rescue the pilot of DUDE 44, an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran. As previously reported, the pilot was rescued by a package that included an HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft, an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, and an A-10C.
Coronet East 066 – Loss to be replaced. #freedom
—Operation EPIC FURY—A French tanker is supporting the transfer of two additional A-10C “Thunderbolt II” attack aircraft to the Middle East this morning after a brief stopover at RAF Lakenheath (EGUL).
KC-135R… pic.twitter.com/rNU6DlBs9F
— DefenseGeek 🇬🇧 (@DefenceGeek) April 20, 2026
Although this has not been officially confirmed, the possibility of these two A-10s being deployed alone to replace lost A-10s cannot be ruled out. The second aircraft can act as a spare aircraft or replace an aircraft with maintenance issues.
These Warthogs will likely join the fleet of 23 FG aircraft already in the Middle East. In fact, the unit’s A-10s have appeared in several CENTCOM photos, with the shark mouth and tail flashes of the 75th FS clearly visible, along with the tiger tails of the 23rd Operations Support Squadron.
A-10’s role in Iran
It has long been known that close air support aircraft have no place in highly competitive modern combat. However, the A-10’s versatility allowed it to fulfill a variety of roles in Iran.
The first official images of the jet in action as part of Operation Epic Fury were released on March 15, showing the A-10 with a mixed loadout that can be used against different types of targets. The jet is equipped with two AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground guided missiles, two LAU-131 A/A pods each equipped with seven AGR-20 laser-guided rockets, two AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AN/AAQ-28 Lightning targeting pods, and 600-gallon external fuel tanks.
A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II receives fuel in flight while supporting Operation Epic Fury. The A-10 Thunderbolt II can stand by for hours, ready to perform missions whenever needed. pic.twitter.com/VjESHLR32Y
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2026
This payload allows the A-10 to engage both air and ground targets with great flexibility during combat missions. Sidewinders and rockets have already been used by the Warthog during C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System) missions against the small drone Shahed 136.
This is not news because A-10s were also spotted with Shahed-type UAS kill markings on their noses while returning from deployment in 2025. Although confirmation from the U.S. Air Force was not made public at the time, the photo was the first evidence that an A-10 had shot down a hostile One-Way Attack (OWA) drone in combat.
This role can be converted into a low-cost guided weapon via the AGR-20 rocket, specifically a Hydra 70 rocket modified with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) guidance kit. Initially developed only for air-to-ground use, it later evolved into new roles.
This weapon not only increases payload as mentioned in the image increasing air-to-air weapons from 2 to 16 in total, but also has a lower economic impact. The price of the AGR-20 is actually estimated to be less than $30,000, which is more similar to the price of Iran’s OWA drone compared to the more expensive AIM-9.
U.S. military sustainment forces are performing at their best. pic.twitter.com/EK9eqF4fc8
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 20, 2026
On March 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the A-10 was being operated to track Iranian fast attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Its use in the maritime domain is not unprecedented, as the type has regularly participated in U.S. submarine escorts and live-fire exercises in recent years.
Initially, the Warthog was rarely used in the maritime domain, one of the few instances being the 2011 Operation Integrated Protector, in which A-10s engaged P-3C Orions, patrol boats, and several small attack craft over the Libyan port of Misrata. Later, in the 2020s, the aircraft participated in several maritime surface warfare exercises and conducted force defense exercises.
This follows renewed interest in asymmetric threats posed by attacks in the Red Sea or combat between Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and the Russian Navy in the Black Sea. High-value targets such as U.S. warships, civilian ships, and oil tankers can be attacked and overwhelmed by organized swarms of USVs, challenging traditional naval defense strategies.
The A-10’s low-speed and high-altitude maneuverability, flexible armament, highly accurate weapons delivery capability, and extended endurance are all key characteristics that make it highly effective against fast naval targets in the Persian Gulf and beyond.
But the A-10’s role in Operation Epic Fury does not end there. This is because these aircraft are also being used over Iraq against Iranian-backed militias. Several videos show the Warthog carrying out strafing operations using the GAU-8 30mm cannon in Iraq.
