U.S. Air Force Deploys A-10C Warthogs to Protect Navy Mine Warfare Operations in Arabian Gulf.

U.S. Air Force A-10C aircraft flew armed overwatch for USS Santa Barbara during a U.S. Central Command mine countermeasures exercise in the Arabian Gulf. The pairing highlights how the Pentagon is blending legacy firepower with unmanned naval systems to keep sea lanes open near the Strait of Hormuz.

The sight of U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft flying protective profiles alongside USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) during a U.S. Central Command training event in the Arabian Gulf is more than a photo opportunity. It is a blunt operational signal that mine countermeasures forces operating in one of the world’s most constrained and politically charged waterways will be shielded by dedicated, persistent firepower. In the tight geometry of the Gulf, where small craft, drones, and coastal weapon systems can compress warning time to minutes, pairing a mine-hunting Littoral Combat Ship with an aircraft built to loiter low, see the fight, and strike fast is a deliberate choice, not nostalgia. For U.S. 5th Fleet planners and regional watchers alike, the implication is clear: if the Gulf turns hostile, the forces tasked with keeping sea lanes open will not be left exposed.
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U.S. Air Force A-10C Warthogs fly armed overwatch for USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) during an Arabian Gulf mine countermeasures drill, highlighting a joint strategy that pairs LCS-based unmanned mine hunting with persistent close air support to deter fast-boat, drone, and mining threats near the Strait of Hormuz (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

Army Recognition reviewed the CENTCOM photo set and the A-10’s visible loadout is revealing. The jet carries 500 lb Joint Direct Attack Munitions, a LITENING targeting pod, and a seven-shot 2.75-inch rocket pod that is assessed to be loaded with Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II laser-guided rockets, plus a prominent 600-gallon centerline fuel tank for extended on-station time. That mix is less about heavy armor today and more about sustained armed overwatch: the A-10 can identify, track, and prosecute fast, small maritime contacts while remaining overhead long enough to shape escalation, not just react to it.

At the heart of that deterrent posture is the GAU-8/A 30 mm cannon, still one of the most specialized aircraft weapons in U.S. service. Air Force data credits the gun with a 3,900-rounds-per-minute firing rate, while General Dynamics ammunition documentation highlights the combat mix that makes the weapon tactically flexible: PGU-13/B High Explosive Incendiary for fragmentation and incendiary effects against soft targets, and PGU-14/B Armor Piercing Incendiary for penetration and destructive after-armor effects. In the maritime security problem set, that translates into rapid, discriminating bursts against small craft, engines, and exposed weapon mounts without the magazine depth penalty of relying solely on missiles.

The deeper story is how a Cold War close air support platform has been steadily re-shaped for today’s cheap threat, crowded battlespace reality. The A-10C standard emerged from the Precision Engagement upgrade path that brought digital stores management, modern cockpit displays, electronic countermeasures, and full smart-weapon delivery, including JDAM and advanced targeting pods. That modernization is what enables the aircraft in the CENTCOM photos to operate less like a classic gun truck and more like a networked strike node, cueing precision weapons and rockets from its own sensors. For mine countermeasure escort duty, that matters because the first shots may need to be precise, politically controlled, and fired under compressed timelines.

The rocket pod is especially important in 2026. APKWS II has become a favored option for engaging low-cost aerial threats in the U.S. Central Command area because it offers precision at a fraction of the price and with far greater carriage density than traditional air-to-air missiles. In a Gulf contingency, that same logic applies to swarming surface craft: a single A-10 can carry enough guided rockets to conduct multiple independent engagements and still retain JDAM for higher-value or time-sensitive targets. The A-10’s growing relevance against drones tightens the protective bubble around slow, mission-focused ships like mine hunters.

USS Santa Barbara’s presence is not symbolic: with the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships gone from the region, the U.S. Navy is leaning on Independence-variant LCS configured with the Mine Countermeasures Mission Package to hunt, neutralize, and sweep mines while keeping sailors at greater standoff from the danger area. The package is described as an integrated suite that pushes sensors and neutralization tools outward via the MCM Unmanned Surface Vehicle and an MH-60S helicopter, enabling detect-to-engage sequences against mines in the littorals. As senior Navy leadership has stated at initial operational capability, the new equipment is designed to keep sailors out of harm’s way, but only if the mothership is protected while it works.

The mine-hunting chain is built around layered sensing. The system combines forward-looking and side-looking sonars with digital gap-filler capability, while electro-optic identification provides confirmation when contacts require discrimination. Industry program material emphasizes that the system is designed to find and classify bottom and moored mines, feeding a kill chain that can include helicopter-delivered neutralizers. That makes Santa Barbara an operational door opener for the joint force, but it also makes the ship a priority target for any adversary hoping to bottleneck maritime traffic by mining choke points and then hunting the hunters.

Strategically, this is about denying Iran and its proxies a familiar crisis lever: mining and fast-boat pressure in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The exercise is directly tied to persistent concerns about mine warfare in the Gulf and to the danger posed by fast attack craft, increasingly paired with unmanned surface vessels. The A-10’s next-step enabler is connectivity. Select aircraft are now being fielded with Link 16, closing a long-standing interoperability gap and allowing Warthogs to share a real-time tactical picture with ships, airborne command-and-control platforms, and coalition assets. In practical terms, that is how an aging airframe becomes a credible escort in a modern, sensor-saturated fight: see first, share fast, shoot often, and stay overhead until the mine hunters finish the job.