Why the A-10 Over Hormuz Signals Iran’s Air Defenses Collapsed
25th March 2026
Why would the United States send one of its least stealthy combat aircraft into airspace that should punish slow, low-flying jets? The answer says less about the A-10 Thunderbolt II than about the condition of the defenses below it. The aircraft’s appearance around the Strait of Hormuz points to a basic airpower rule: a platform built for close-range attack only works when the enemy’s radar and missile network has already been broken down enough to make the sky tolerably safe.