The US Air Force's A-10 Thunderbolt II has evolved into an aircraft exceptionally suited for the service's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept.

Introduced as US Air Force doctrine in 2022, ACE focuses on spreading out power and operations from large, centralized bases to smaller, dispersed locations, providing the force with greater mobility and the ability to rapidly respond to a wide variety of threats.

Physical dispersal further complicates adversaries' abilities to target US Air Force and allied air power, enabling ACE to "increase survivability while generating combat power," according to the Air Force.

The ACE concept centers around multiple, small-scale ground operations in a forward battlefield area supported by multiple fighter and land attack aircraft.

It is composed of five core elements: command and control, posture, movement and maneuver, protection and sustainment.

The A-10 in particular supports ACE as a forward air controller-airborne role in contested environments, enabling ground forces or other air controllers to position themselves outside of adversary threat capabilities.

Flexible airpower

The A-10, a twin-engine, single-seat subsonic attack aircraft, was the first US Air Force aircraft specifically designed for close air support of ground forces.

It can conduct both ground and light maritime attack and is outfitted to carry a wide variety of both precision guided and unguided missiles.

Its ability to operate under 1,000-foot (305-meter) ceilings and to loiter near battle areas for long periods, plus its wide combat radius, makes the A-10 uniquely suited to a forward air controller-airborne role.

The A-10C Thunderbolt airframe is also battle hardened and designed for durability. More than 1,000 pounds (454kg) of titanium armor protects the pilot and the flight-control system. It can absorb damage and keep flying with self-sealing fuel cells and backup systems in case of severe attack.

With its ability to take off and land from relatively short runways, the A-10C Thunderbolt is adept at getting in and out of locations near the front lines, reducing response times and increasing its efficiency in providing close air support to ground forces.

A simple maintenance design lends itself to the aircraft's durability and ability to operate from airstrips close to the front lines.

With at least 11 hardpoints, the A-10, nicknamed "The Warthog" or "Hog," can carry up to 16,000 pounds of mixed ordnance (7,260kg).

The A-10's range of munitions includes Mk-84 series free-fall, unguided bombs; AGM-65 Maverick close air support missiles; and AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking, air-to-air missiles as well as rockets and illumination flares.

This variety makes it well suited to the ACE concept's emphasis on providing aircraft with a wide range of rockets, missiles and bombs, as well as enabling allies and partners to cross-service the planes and their payloads.

The rugged A-10 is an enduring example of flexibility and is an aircraft well suited to further the US Air Force's implementation of the ACE concept, furthering its decades-long tradition of air dominance.