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2026-04-06 11:42:06
[US military uses aging A-10 attack aircraft in operations against Iran; planned retirement halted by Congress] (1) A study by Sputnik News found that the US military used A-10 "Thunder II" attack aircraft in its military operations against Iran. The Pentagon officially identified this type of aircraft as vulnerable in modern high-intensity conflicts and deemed unsuitable for modern warfare. (2) The Pentagon had applied to retire all remaining 162 A-10s to save $423 million; however, the defense appropriations bill signed on December 18, 2025, temporarily prohibits the reduction of the fleet size to below 103 aircraft by September 30, 2026. (3) The bill also confirmed the policy of full retirement, requiring the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a detailed plan for the full retirement by 2029. The Pentagon was supposed to inform Congress of the transition timetable by March 31. Nevertheless, the US military command still deployed these attack aircraft to the Middle East.
