The US Air Force is working out how to hand the A-10 Warthog’s combat search-and-rescue role off to jets like the F-35

• The US Air Force still plans to replace the A-10 Warthogs with F-35s and F-15Es.

• Lawmakers pressed officials on skill gaps and pilot training for search and rescue missions.

• A-10s supported the Iranian rescue mission and hunted fast attack boats.

The U.S. Air Force has delayed the retirement of the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, but Warthogs are still being replaced by F-35s, F-15s and other aircraft long expected to take on missions associated with the A-10 platform.

The Air Force has argued that the A-10 will not be viable in a possible future war with China, and the service is trying to figure out what some key missions would look like without them.

During this process, lawmakers questioned whether the upcoming change risked creating gaps, especially in the combat search and rescue mission.

At the US House Armed Services Committee hearing, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach emphasized: A-10’s role as “Sandy”that the aircraft supports search and rescue while engaging in close combat at low altitudes. A-10s recently supported the rescue operation F-15E Strike Eagle shot down crew in Iran.

The Air Force had previously described the F-35 and F-15 as successors to the A-10 in terms of combat search and rescue support, and Wilsbach followed suit. But lawmakers expressed concern that they would not be a one-to-one replacement.

During the hearing, Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican congressman from Georgia, noted that “A-10 pilots are specifically trained in combat search and rescue,” and asked: “Are we going to specifically train F-35 and other pilots in combat search and rescue?”

The Air Force should do this, Wilsbach said. “This is our duty,” he added.

Lawmakers pressed Air Force officials about the risk of creating a gap in search and rescue capacity. At the hearing, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican from Wisconsin, asked whether any existing aircraft would “match” the Warthog’s capability.

“Well, ‘match’ is probably in the eye of the beholder,” Wilsbach said. “We have other aircraft that can do close air support and certainly support combat search and rescue.”

Air Force requests funding F-35 pilots He is trained for this mission, and extending the Warthog’s lifespan to the end of the decade helps provide time for the transition. The service officially announced last month that one fleet would fly by 2029 and the other two by 2030.

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said slowing the A-10 retirement would allow the service to “replenish” units with “more capable, survivable fighters.”

News of Warthog’s retirement attracted attention, especially due to his role in the US war in Iran. A-10s not only supported the rescue of F-15E crews, but also Hunting Iranian fast attack boats In the Strait of Hormuz.

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