In December 2025, the 74th and 75th Fighter Squadrons at Moody Air Force Base reported that they had upgraded their A-10C Thunderbolt II fleet with ARC-210 Generation 6 radios, modernizing communications with secure connectivity, encryption, faster frequency switching, and friendly force data sharing. The upgrade reduces pilot workload, ensures compatibility with modern secure and anti-jam protocols, and keeps the A-10 operationally relevant.

Building on that enhanced capability, A-10s provided armed overwatch for the littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara during a mine-hunting exercise in the Arabian Gulf, protecting operations against small boats, drones, and other asymmetric threats in strategic waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) previously made history on December 16th, 2025, when it became the first Independence-class ship to launch the groundbreaking Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS).

Though originally designed for ground attack, the A-10’s long loiter time, heavy rocket capacity, and ability to engage slow-moving aerial targets, such as drones, make it surprisingly effective for localized drone defense.

Despite debates over its relevance, the A-10’s low operating cost, precision strike capability, and ability to loiter under fire make it uniquely suited for a variety of missions.

Its talents translate effectively to the maritime domain, where it can counter fast-moving small boats, drones, and threaten larger ships in complex littoral environments, adding a critical layer of defense against asymmetric threats.