Tucson's Davis-Monthan retires A-10 "Warthog" as part of divestment plan

After nearly 50 years of flying A-10 “Warthog” attack jets at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the 355th Wing has begun divesting planes from one A-10 squadron amid a planned retirement of the entire fleet.

A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft number 82-648 was retired from service with the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan and on Tuesday taxied from D-M’s main airfield to the adjacent 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group for final maintenance procedures and preparation for storage.

Hundreds of retired military aircraft, including more than 100 already retired A-10s, are stored at the 309th AMARG, also known as “The Boneyard.”

In October, A-10s from the 354th Fighter Squadron “Bulldogs” were deployed to the U.S. Central Command, which includes the Middle East and Central Asia, the command said.

But it’s unclear if jets from the 354th are still deployed.

The Air Force doesn’t divulge deployment details such as force numbers or status due to operational security concerns, spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said.

The 354th has 26 A-10s assigned to squadron, which is a typical complement of fighters, she said.

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The Air Force plans to divest an entire squadron of D-M’s A-10s during the summer and fall of this year, as part of a plan to retire the entire A-10 fleet in the next three to five years, said Col. Scott Mills, commander of D-M’s host 355th Wing and an A-10 pilot.

In place of the A-10 mission, the Air Force Special Operations Command plans to establish a new “power projection wing” at Davis-Monthan over the next five years.

Pilots and maintainers of divested A-10s at Davis-Monthan will move on to the nation’s fifth-generation fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, D-M said.

Besides the 354th combat squadron, D-M’s host 355th Wing operates an A-10 training squadron, the 355th Fighter Squadron. Another A-10 training unit, the the Army Reserve Command’s 47th Fighter Squadron also operates at D-M.

Originally designed by Fairchild Republic for close air support of ground troops A-10 model can carry bombs, missiles and rockets and features a 30-millimeter rotary nose cannon that can destroy tanks and fortified bunkers with a rapid-fire hail of bullets.

The first model of the aircraft to arrive at Davis-Monthan was an A-10A on March 2, 1976.

First used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991, the A-10 has been involved in every major conflict since then, as an effective tank killer and platform for close air support and rescue missions.