The last active duty operational A-10 Thunderbolt II assigned to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada took its final flight Tuesday, ending nearly 50 years of Warthog operations at the installation.

Around 70 Nellis airmen gathered to send off the famed aircraft with a salute.

The departure closed a long chapter of A-10 training, testing and maintenance at one of the Air Force’s central proving grounds.

The first Warthog arrived at Nellis in 1977. Over the following five decades, the base served as the primary proving ground for developing and refining the aircraft’s tactical employment.

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Units at Nellis worked on the A-10’s software, avionics and precision weapons.

At the same time, the 66th Weapons Squadron at the service’s Weapons School trained A-10 weapons officers across 100 classes.

The final flight carries significance beyond the loss of one aircraft from one Nevada base.

It marks another step in the Air Force’s broader retirement of an aircraft whose mission has centered on supporting troops on the ground.

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As the service retires the A-10 fleet, its tactical expertise, operational responsibilities and personnel are moving to multirole and advanced fighter platforms. The Air Force says the shift is intended to sustain air support capability across the force.

Airmen formerly assigned to the Thunder Aircraft Maintenance Unit within the 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron are also moving.

Those personnel are being transferred to other squadrons and airframes, including the F-35 and F-16.

“The transition marks less of a retirement and more of an evolution, ensuring that the Warthog’s legendary commitment to protecting troops on the ground is carried forward by the airmen and advanced platforms shaping the future fight,” the release reads.

Image Credit: DoW

With the Nellis aircraft retired, Moody Air Force Base in Georgia is now the final base operating active duty operational Warthogs.

Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri continues to operate a reserve A-10 squadron.

The Air Force previously announced extensions for several remaining units. One active duty squadron at Moody and one reserve squadron at Whiteman are scheduled to continue through 2030.

Image Credit: DoW

An additional active duty squadron at Moody is scheduled to continue through 2029. That plan replaced a previously established 2029 retirement timeline for the A-10 fleet.

The aircraft’s shrinking presence has also drawn attention in Congress.

A House of Representatives bill filed in July would require the Air Force to retain at least 126 Warthogs in service.

Known as the BRRRRT Act, the bill would also reverse earlier work to dissolve the aircraft’s maintenance depot, pilot training pipeline and weapons course.

It arrived as the service accelerated A-10 divestment.

The Air Force has asserted that close air support and combat search and rescue responsibilities can be performed by a combination of platforms. Those aircraft include the F-35A, F-15E and F-16.

Image Credit: DoW

Image Credit: DoW

Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., introduced the legislation while pointing to the lack of an announced successor for the Warthog’s role.

“The BRRRRT Act ensures we do not retire a proven weapons system before a certified replacement exists,” Hamadeh said.

The aircraft has continued to perform operational missions during the retirement process.

In Operation Epic Fury, the A-10 provided support and targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz.

For Nellis, however, the final flight brings its direct operational chapter with the A-10 to a close.

The aircraft’s personnel, expertise and responsibilities are now shifting toward the platforms the Air Force expects to carry those missions forward.

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