Nellis Bids Farewell to the A-10 Warthog
The final A-10 Thunderbolt II assigned to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, departed the installation on Sept. 22, closing a significant chapter in the aircraft’s nearly five-decade association with one of the U.S. Air Force’s most important test and training hubs.
As the aircraft lifted off for the last time, nearly 70 Airmen gathered along the flight line to render a final salute to the legendary attack jet, affectionately known as the “Warthog.” The moment marked more than the departure of an airframe. It symbolized the conclusion of almost 50 years of tactical innovation, operational testing and sustainment excellence at Nellis.
Since the arrival of the first A-10 in 1977, Nellis has served as the premier proving ground for the aircraft’s combat employment. Units based at the Nevada installation played a critical role in refining the jet’s software, avionics and precision-guided weapons, while the U.S. Air Force Weapons School’s 66th Weapons Squadron produced more than 300 A-10 Weapons Officers across 100 graduating classes.
Despite the aircraft’s departure, the expertise developed around the platform is being preserved and transferred across the force.
“We are maintaining the culture of the A-10 by involving as many other fighter communities involved in the close air support mission,” said Lt. Col. Ridge Flick, commander of the 66th Weapons Squadron. He noted that pilots from the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Lightning II communities are increasingly assuming responsibilities previously associated with the A-10, including aspects of combat search-and-rescue operations.
Flick emphasized that while the squadron is transitioning away from the aircraft, its core mission remains unchanged: developing the Air Force’s next generation of tactical leaders. Training will continue for combat rescue officers, pararescuemen, special tactics officers and combat controllers.
The A-10’s retirement across the Air Force does not signal a reduction in close air support capability. Rather, the service is redistributing decades of tactical knowledge, operational experience and personnel expertise across a new generation of multi-role combat aircraft.
That transition is particularly evident among maintainers. Airmen from the 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron’s Thunder Aircraft Maintenance Unit are moving to fleets such as the F-16 and F-35, carrying with them decades of experience in managing structural fatigue, wing replacement programs and complex depot-level maintenance.
At the same time, the F-35 is expanding its role in close air support and combat search-and-rescue command and control missions. Combining low-observable technology, advanced sensors and networked data-sharing capabilities, the fifth-generation fighter is increasingly positioned to execute precision support operations in highly contested environments.
For many Airmen, the transition is also deeply personal.
“Working on the A-10 is meaningful to me because that is something that I share with my grandfather,” said Staff Sgt. Eva Kehn, a weapons load crew chief with the 757th AMXS. Now reassigned to an F-35 unit at Nellis, Kehn will continue that family legacy on a new platform. Her grandfather currently serves as a civilian F-35 instructor, creating a new chapter in a shared aviation tradition.
Others view the moment as both a farewell and a homecoming.
“It’s a bittersweet moment,” said Master Sgt. Aaron Edmonds, an aircraft section chief with the 757th AMXS. “I enjoyed my time with the A-10, but I’m excited because this departure marks the closing of one chapter and the start of another.”
After spending five years on the A-10 flight line, Edmonds will return to the F-16 community, bringing with him the lessons and experience gained on one of the Air Force’s most iconic aircraft.
His advice to Airmen facing similar transitions is straightforward: remain open-minded, continue learning and carry the same dedication and professionalism to the next platform.
Although the familiar sound of A-10 engines will no longer echo across Nellis, the aircraft’s legacy remains firmly embedded in the installation’s culture. The departure represents not simply the end of a storied aircraft’s tenure, but the evolution of its mission and mindset into the Air Force’s next generation of combat airpower. Through the Airmen, tactics and aircraft that follow, the Warthog’s enduring commitment to supporting troops on the ground will continue well into the future.
