The US Air Force officially retired the A-10C Thunderbolt II from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, on July 29, 2026. This move concludes nearly 50 years of continuous operations for the aircraft at the installation, according to AeroTime. The final sortie was observed by personnel and local leadership, followed by a ceremonial water salute.

Davis-Monthan historically served as the primary training hub for the A-10, with the 357th Fighter Squadron acting as the final active-duty unit responsible for pilot instruction. The formal training pipeline closed on April 3, 2026, with the graduation of the last class of Warthog pilots. The retirement process at the base began in February 2024, when tail number 82-648 was transferred to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, located on the same airfield. Subsequent squadron inactivations occurred throughout 2024 and 2025.

| Event | Date | | :--- | :--- | | A-10 initial storage transfer (Tail 82-648) | February 2024 | | 354th Fighter Squadron inactivation | September 13, 2024 | | 355th Operations Support Squadron inactivation | April 3, 2025 | | Final training class graduation | April 3, 2026 | | Official retirement of A-10s at Davis-Monthan | July 29, 2026 |

Despite the base-level drawdown, the broader Air Force fleet remains active. While the service originally sought to retire 162 aircraft in fiscal 2026, the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act mandated an inventory floor of 103 aircraft, with 93 designated as primary mission assets through September 30, 2026. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced on April 20, 2026, that the service would extend the fleet's lifespan through 2030, a decision influenced by the performance of the A-10 in Operation Epic Fury. The base is now shifting its focus toward the 492nd Power Projection Wing, an Air Force Special Operations Command unit that will oversee rescue missions using OA-1K and MC-130J aircraft.

## Why It Matters The transition at Davis-Monthan underscores the Air Force's pivot from legacy close-air support platforms to modernized special operations capabilities. By retaining a reduced A-10 fleet through 2030, the military acknowledges the difficulty of replacing the platform's unique battlefield efficacy in low-intensity, high-threat environments. This delay highlights a strategic tension between retiring aging, high-maintenance hardware and maintaining mission-critical combat capacity while newer procurement programs struggle to meet production timelines and operational readiness requirements.