(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Keifer Bowes)
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that the A-10 Warthog, alongside the F-16 and F-15E, can now employ laser-guided APKWS II rockets in an air-to-air role to counter drones and cruise missiles, according to Tyler Rogoway of The War Zone. Though originally designed for ground attack, the A-10’s long loiter time, heavy rocket capacity, and ability to engage slow-moving aerial targets make it surprisingly effective for localized drone defense. This new capability could make the aircraft appealing to partners like Ukraine or Jordan, especially as drone threats grow. However, despite its renewed tactical relevance, the Air Force wants to retire the rest of its A-10s in 2026, according to Audrey Decker of DefenseOne.
The accelerated retirement timeline—moving up by four years—reflects the Air Force’s wider effort to modernize its fleet and prioritize future combat capabilities, including the sixth-generation F-47 fighter jet. In its 2026 budget proposal, the Air Force plans to retire 340 aircraft, such as A-10s, F-16s, F-15s, and various support planes, while requesting just 45 new fighters, far below the ideal 72 per year. Budget limits and production challenges have also forced the Air Force to cut F-35 purchases in half to 24, shifting focus instead to sustainment, upgrades, and investing $3.5 billion in the F-47 program. Ironically, as the A-10 Warthog, one of the most iconic ground-attack aircraft, approaches retirement, its emerging air-to-air role against drones may turn out to be one of the greatest lost opportunities of its legacy. Rogoway writes:
We have just learned that one of the most successful adaptations of an existing weapon in recent memory — morphing laser-guided air-to-ground rockets into counter-drone weapons — can be accommodated on three USAF aircraft, not just two. First, the F-16 got the version of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System II (APKWS II) that takes 2.75 in. (70mm) Hydra rockets and turns them into drone and cruise missile busters, followed very recently by the F-15E Strike Eagle. Now we have learned that the A-10 Warthog has also received at least the ability to employ these weapons in the air-to-air role, although the type’s remaining service is now measured in months, not multiple years.
In the recently released budget request for 2026, the Pentagon documentation states that APKWSs featuring guidance sections with specialized Fixed-Wing Air-Launched Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems Ordnance (FALCO) software installed are cleared for use on the F-16, F-15E, and the A-10. The rockets use laser guidance and a proximity fuze to explode near subsonic, low-maneuverability targets like drones and cruise missiles. TWZ was first to report on the testing of this configuration of APKWS back in 2019. APKWSs were first used operationally as anti-air weapons in the surface-to-air role, with Ukraine receiving the VAMPIRE system that has proven to be highly successful.
Since then, APKWS II has entered operational U.S. service in the air-to-air role, and has become a standout in the Middle East, where F-16s swatted down Houthi drones with it at a fraction of the price of an air-to-air missile, the cheapest of which costs nearly half a million dollars. The anti-air APKWSs cost less than a tenth of that. […]
The A-10 as a drone hunter is an interesting prospect. The aircraft’s loiter time, slow and low-flying capabilities, and even its unique air-to-air dogfighting agility, could come in as a real benefit for taking out long-range one-way attack drones, especially the most prevalent propeller-driven type. Where the A-10 would be less effective is in rapidly taking out faster-flying drones and cruise missiles. […]
Jordan has been raised as another potential taker for A-10s after their retirement from U.S. service. Starting last year, the Jordanian armed forces have found themselves contending with Iranian drones, as well as missiles, flying overhead on their way to targets in Israel on several occasions, and have taken action to shoot them down. Paired with FALCO APKWSs, Warthogs could also bolster Jordan’s counter-drone arsenal.
It’s a bit ironic that just as one of the world’s most iconic ground attack aircraft to ever fly is about to end its service, its air-to-air capability against drones could be one of the biggest missed opportunities brought on by its retirement.
Read more here.
