A-10 ‘Warthog’ takes final active-duty flight at Arizona air base

An A-10C Thunderbolt II took flight for the last time at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona last week, leaving the Air Force with just two active-duty squadrons of the venerable ground-attack aircraft.

The July 29 “finale” at Davis-Monthan, near Tucson, leaves Moody Air Force Base in Georgia as the only Air Force base with active-duty A-10s. The base supports two squadrons.

Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri operates a reserve A-10 squadron.

The twin-engine jet best known by its nickname, “Warthog,” has been popular with U.S. troops. From Desert Storm to Epic Fury, the A-10 has supported ground forces in combat.

The Air Force received 713 planes between 1975 and 1984, when production ended. The service has since sought to reduce or eliminate the plane, saying continued funding siphoned money from modernization programs such as the F-35A Lightning II.

In October 2025, the Air Force said it still had 162 in its inventory but was planning to cut the number to 54.

Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House last month that would direct the Air Force to maintain at least 126 A-10s through 2033. The bill is currently under consideration before the House Armed Forces Committee.

The final flight at Davis-Monthan served as both a celebration and a farewell.

“We’ve always had A-10s on the ramp; for the last 50 years they’ve been on the ramp,” said Lt. Col. Rodney Dwyer, the commander of the 355th Operations Group. “To see the sunshades get torn down, to see the jets divest, fewer and fewer A-10s out there — it’s definitely bittersweet.”

At Davis-Monthan, personnel were nostalgic for what the plane has meant to airmen, soldiers and the public.

“Hopefully that attack mindset will continue to live on, and it will make every single Airman it touches, every single airframe it touches, every single organization it touches better,” said Chief Master Sgt. Dave Anderson Jr., the 355th Operations Group senior enlisted leader.

Dwyer was sprayed with water by family and friends after landing his final A-10 flight at the base. The Air Force said in a statement that the spraying of water on pilots and crew following their “fini flight” is a tradition within the aviation community.

Personnel said they took pride in the A-10’s precision and survivability, which they said saved American lives in combat and defined close air support for half a century, according to the Air Force.

“It’s tough,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Rutter, the commander of the 357th Fighter Squadron. “I think a lot of it is you’ve just spent years being part of this team and flying this aircraft all over the world and building friends and relationships in the community. So, when you shut down the jet for the last time, it’s that realization that some of that will change, some of that will go away.”