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U.S. A-10 Warthog Attack Aircraft Gains New Refueling Capability During Operation Epic Fury
Apr 12, 2026
The U.S. Air Force has equipped the A-10 Warthog with a new probe refueling capability, allowing it to refuel from HC-130 tankers and expand its combat reach. Developed rapidly to address tanker shortages, this upgrade enhances mission flexibility, especially in active operations like Operation Epic Fury. The A-10 continues to prove its value as a highly effective close-air-support aircraft in modern warfare.
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>> The US Air Force has introduced a new
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refueling capability for the A-10
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Warthog, expanding its operational
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flexibility in active combat
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environments. Developed under an urgent
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operational requirement, the new probe
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refueling adapter allows the A-10 to
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shift from its traditional boom
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refueling system to a probe and drogue
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configuration. Installed on the
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aircraft's nose, the adapter enables
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compatibility with HC-130 tankers,
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significantly expanding available
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refueling options. With the retirement
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of the KC-10 and limitations in KC-46
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deployment, A-10 units have faced
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reduced access to tanker support. By
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enabling refueling from C-130 based
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platforms, the A-10 can now operate more
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effectively in forward and austere
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environments. The system is also field
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configurable, allowing installation or
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removal within hours, improving mission
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flexibility, endurance, and operational
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reach.
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>> [music]
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>> The A-10 Thunderbolt II remains one of
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the most specialized close air support
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aircraft in service today. Designed for
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low-altitude operations, it is optimized
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to engage ground targets with precision
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and persistence. Its GAU-8 Avenger 30-mm
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cannon provides unmatched firepower
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against armored vehicles and fortified
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positions. The aircraft can also carry a
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wide range of precision-guided
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munitions, rockets, and bombs. Its
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ability to loiter over the battlefield
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allows continuous support to ground
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forces during complex operations. In
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current combat missions, including
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operations conducted during Operation
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Epic Fury, the A-10 has demonstrated
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high efficiency in engaging both ground
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and maritime targets. This combination
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of endurance, survivability, and
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precision makes it uniquely effective in
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modern combat environments.
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>> [music]
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>> Hi, my name is Grace Herman. I'm an A-10
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pilot here in the 75th Fighter Squadron
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at Moody Air Force Base. We're
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celebrating Women in Aviation Week, and
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I'd love to tell you about my experience
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as a pilot in the US Air Force. I
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commissioned in 2017 through ROTC. After
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that, I went in right into undergrad
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pilot training at Columbus Air Force
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Base. [music]
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And then after that, I went to
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Davis-Monthan to start my career in the
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A-10.
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I went to Korea for a year and a half,
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and I've been here at Moody for 6
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months.
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>> [music]
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>> I've been really lucky to have a lot of
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women mentors in my career, especially
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in the A-10. [music] And here I get to
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work with a diverse and awesome
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amount of people on the A-10 daily. So,
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I'd love to show you around the jet and
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then tell you kind of what my day looks
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like. So, the A-10, commonly known as or
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referred to as the Warthog or Hog, was
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designed for [music] close air support
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in support of friendly troops. And
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that's typically what we train to on a
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daily basis. [music] The A-10's probably
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known most for the gun, the GAU-8. It's
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a 30-mm Gatling gun. It shoots 3,900
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rounds per minute, and [music] I can
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tell you it is one of the most awesome
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experiences shooting this gun. You can
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smell it, and the jet moves, and it's
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just an amazing feeling. [music] So, on
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the jet, we have 11 hardpoints. That's
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where we put a lot of our munitions, our
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training aids like the training AIM-9
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over here, air-to-air missile, our
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targeting pod, and then at any point in
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time we have a variation of practice
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[music]
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bombs to drop or rockets and those kinds
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of things. So, let's go up in the
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cockpit, and I can keep talking to you
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about what it's like to be a pilot
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[music] here.
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So, I didn't always know that I wanted
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to be a pilot. It was something that
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[music] I discovered late in my ROTC
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career, and it's been challenging along
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the way, but there's been a lot of
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rewards [music] as well. When I
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graduated undergraduate pilot training,
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my dad actually pinned on my
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grandfather's wings,
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>> [music]
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>> which makes me a third-generation Air
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Force pilot. Being a part of that legacy
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has been something really special to me,
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and being able to continue that on and
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work hard every day to make sure that
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I'm living up to those expectations and
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making my family proud has been really
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important to me.
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Being a pilot and getting to fly this
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jet every day, it's something that you
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get to go do, and
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when even though you challenge yourself
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and you have to work really hard, and
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sometimes it can it can really get to be
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a lot, as soon as you're up in the air
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and you turn around and you see those
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two engines behind you, the ground
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beneath you, and the sky above you, it
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is one of the most incredible feelings,
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and the A-10 has an incredible legacy of
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supporting people on the ground that
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need help. [music]
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And being able to to be in that family
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of people and train to continue on that
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legacy, [music]
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I think it's something that every A-10
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pilot will tell you is the reason why
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they wanted to fly [music] this jet.
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Being a pilot is not your typical 9-to-5
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job. It's [music] endless hours,
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countless studying, but at the end of
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the day, being able to take this jet up
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into the air with other people that make
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you feel like family no matter where you
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go has got to be one of the most
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rewarding careers that you could ever
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[music] have. I've been extremely proud
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to be an A-10 pilot and extremely proud
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to be a woman in aviation.
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The A-10 Warthog continues to prove its
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value as a dedicated close air support
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platform. While newer aircraft bring
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advanced technologies, none combine
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sustained low-altitude firepower,
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battlefield presence, and direct support
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to ground forces in the same way. With
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this new refueling capability, the A-10
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gains even greater flexibility,
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reinforcing its role as one of the most
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effective land attack aircraft in modern
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combat.
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