The U.S. Air Force will start withdrawing its A-10 aircraft from Osan Air Base, South Korea, the Thunderbolt II’s last overseas location, starting in January.
In a Nov. 12 release, the 7th Air Force said all 24 A-10s will depart Osan by the end of fiscal 2025—Sept. 30, 2024.
Meanwhile, the USAF F-16s on the peninsula will continue to receive avionics upgrades as part of the Post Block Integration Team (PoBIT) program.
The moves continue the Air Force’s push to tweak its force structure in Korea and the broader Pacific. In July, the 7th Air Force shifted F-16s from Kunsan Air Base to Osan to create a “super squadron” for a yearlong test on how to maximize combat effectiveness.
That month, the Pentagon also said the Air Force would bring in F-35 fighters to Misawa Air Base, Japan, and F-15EX fighters to Kadena Air Base, Japan. It will be the first time either fighter type will be based overseas in the Pacific.
“By introducing advanced fourth and fifth-generation aircraft like our upgraded F-16s along with F-35s and F-15EXs in the Pacific region, we are significantly enhancing our overall air combat capabilities in the Korean theater,” 7th Air Force commander Lt. Gen. David R. Iverson said in a statement.
Iverson did not say if the USAF would bring in new fighters to Korea to match the A-10s being phased out.
The U.S. has been flying A-10s in Korea since 1982, and the current iteration of the 25th Fighter Squadron stood up in 1993. In recent years, however, the Air Force has moved to retire its fleet of Warthogs, saying the legendary close air support aircraft is not suited for a potential high-end fight against adversaries like China or Russia.
Leaders have suggested every A-10 could be divested before the end of the decade, and the service has started identifying new missions for units and bases that host the A-10—the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing will transition to cyberspace operations, Moody Air Force Base in Georgia will get F-35s, and the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing will move to F-16s. One of the service’s main A-10 hubs, Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., is gaining the 492nd Special Operations Wing.
The retirements at Osan will end the A-10’s permanent presence in the Indo-Pacific region, and it marks the second Pacific USAF base to move on from older fighter/attack aircraft—Kadena is also phasing out its older C and D models of the F-15.