{"id":63047,"date":"2026-03-28T08:33:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T07:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-cold-war-jet-that-became-a-drone-killer\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:39:59","slug":"the-cold-war-jet-that-became-a-drone-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/the-cold-war-jet-that-became-a-drone-killer\/","title":{"rendered":"Der Jet aus dem Kalten Krieg, der zum Drohnenkiller wurde"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It came home to Portsmouth on October 11, 2025, callsign TABOR61, nose adorned with two small silhouettes of Shahed-type drones alongside the figure of Ares. The Idaho Air National Guard <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/a-10-warthog\">A-10C<\/a> had just finished six months in the CENTCOM area of responsibility. It had been hunting drones \u2014 and it had found them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The A-10 Thunderbolt II, designed in the 1970s to kill Soviet tanks on the plains of Central Europe, had become a drone killer over the Middle East. Nobody planned it that way. It just works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Weapon That Changes the Maths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The standard way to shoot down an Iranian Shahed drone is to fire a missile at it \u2014 a Patriot interceptor, an AIM-9, a NASAMS round. The problem is cost. A Shahed costs Iran roughly $20,000 to build. The missiles used to stop them cost anywhere from $500,000 to over $3 million each. Iran has been deliberately exploiting this ratio, launching swarms of cheap drones to drain expensive Western air defence inventories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enter the A-10, loaded with AGM-20F FALCO laser-guided rockets \u2014 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rounds that cost a fraction of a full air-to-air missile. One APKWS costs around $28,000. That's still more than the drone, but it's a ratio the West can sustain. The A-10 gives commanders a reusable, mobile platform that hunts and kills drones without burning through premium interceptor stocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\" style=\"width:100%;\"><img data-opt-id=973436720  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1353\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/a10-warthog-armed.jpg\" alt=\"A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog heavily armed ground attack aircraft\" class=\"wp-image-63043\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:1021\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/a10-warthog-armed.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:980\/h:1036\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/a10-warthog-armed.jpg 980w, https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:480\/h:507\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/a10-warthog-armed.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1280px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\" style=\"text-align:left;\">A heavily armed A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog. The Cold War tank-killer has found a new mission hunting drones over the Middle East \u2014 and it's proving surprisingly effective. (U.S. Air Force \/ Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Aircraft the Air Force Wanted to Retire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The irony is rich. The U.S. Air Force has been trying to retire the A-10 for years \u2014 arguing that it is too slow, too vulnerable, and too specialised to survive on the modern battlefield. Congress has repeatedly blocked the effort, often citing the plane's close air support capabilities. Now the Warthog is doing something nobody anticipated: demonstrating that in an era of drone warfare, a slow, cheap, heavily armed platform that can loiter and hunt is exactly what the battlefield needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two kill marks on one aircraft from one deployment might seem modest. Multiply it across a fleet and a sustained campaign, and the A-10's new role starts to look like a strategic argument. The Cold War's most unloved survivor may have just earned another stay of execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sources: The Aviationist; The War Zone; Army Recognition; United 24 Media<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<!-- mf-faq -->\n\n<div class=\"mf-faq-block\"><style>.mf-faq-block{margin:34px 0}.mf-faq-item:not([open]) .mf-faq-answer{display:none !important}.mf-faq-block h2.mf-faq-h{padding-top:22px;margin-bottom:14px}.mf-faq-item{border:1px solid #e2e8f5;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff}.mf-faq-item summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;padding:15px 50px 15px 18px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;position:relative;line-height:1.45;user-select:none}.mf-faq-item summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mf-faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";position:absolute;right:18px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.5em;font-weight:400;color:#5C91FF;line-height:1}.mf-faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mf-faq-item[open] summary{border-bottom:1px solid #eef1f8}.mf-faq-item summary:hover{background:#f5f8ff}.mf-faq-answer{padding:14px 18px;color:#333;line-height:1.6}.mf-faq-answer p{margin:0}.mf-faq-answer a{color:#5C91FF}<\/style><h2 class=\"mf-faq-h\">Related Questions<\/h2><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>Why is the A-10 being used to shoot down drones?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The A-10 has become a drone killer because it offers a sustainable cost ratio. An Iranian Shahed drone costs about $20,000, while interceptor missiles like Patriot, AIM-9, or NASAMS cost $500,000 to over $3 million each. Armed with cheap laser-guided APKWS rockets, the A-10 hunts drones without draining premium missile stocks.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>How much do APKWS rockets cost compared to drones?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>An APKWS round\u2014the AGM-20F FALCO laser-guided rocket used by the A-10\u2014costs around $28,000. That is still more than a roughly $20,000 Shahed drone, but it's a ratio the West can sustain, unlike firing million-dollar interceptors. The same cheap-drone math drives wider <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/autonomous-drone-on-drone-interception-ukraine-maxon\/\">drone-versus-drone<\/a> competition.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What was the A-10 originally designed for?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The A-10 Thunderbolt II was designed in the 1970s to destroy Soviet tanks on the plains of Central Europe with its 30mm cannon. Decades later it found an unplanned new role hunting drones over the Middle East\u2014a reinvention that helped justify keeping the jet in service, as detailed in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/a-10-warthog-saved-extended-2030-iran\/\">how Iran saved the Warthog<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>Has an A-10 actually shot down drones?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>Yes. An Idaho Air National Guard A-10C returned to Portsmouth on October 11, 2025, callsign TABOR61, with two Shahed-type drone silhouettes painted on its nose after a six-month CENTCOM deployment. The kill markings made it official: the Cold War tank-killer had become an effective drone hunter.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>Why has the Air Force kept the A-10 despite trying to retire it?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The Air Force has long sought to retire the A-10, calling it too slow, vulnerable, and specialized for the modern battlefield, but Congress repeatedly blocked the effort\u2014and the jet's new drone-hunting role vindicated that. Its reprieve and final deployments are covered in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/warthogs-last-war-a-10s-deploy-before-retirement\/\">the Warthog's last war<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why is the A-10 being used to shoot down drones?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The A-10 has become a drone killer because it offers a sustainable cost ratio. An Iranian Shahed drone costs about $20,000, while interceptor missiles like Patriot, AIM-9, or NASAMS cost $500,000 to over $3 million each. Armed with cheap laser-guided APKWS rockets, the A-10 hunts drones without draining premium missile stocks.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How much do APKWS rockets cost compared to drones?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"An APKWS round\u2014the AGM-20F FALCO laser-guided rocket used by the A-10\u2014costs around $28,000. That is still more than a roughly $20,000 Shahed drone, but it's a ratio the West can sustain, unlike firing million-dollar interceptors. The same cheap-drone math drives wider <a href=\\\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/autonomous-drone-on-drone-interception-ukraine-maxon\/\\\">drone-versus-drone<\/a> competition.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the A-10 originally designed for?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The A-10 Thunderbolt II was designed in the 1970s to destroy Soviet tanks on the plains of Central Europe with its 30mm cannon. Decades later it found an unplanned new role hunting drones over the Middle East\u2014a reinvention that helped justify keeping the jet in service, as detailed in <a href=\\\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/a-10-warthog-saved-extended-2030-iran\/\\\">how Iran saved the Warthog<\/a>.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Has an A-10 actually shot down drones?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. An Idaho Air National Guard A-10C returned to Portsmouth on October 11, 2025, callsign TABOR61, with two Shahed-type drone silhouettes painted on its nose after a six-month CENTCOM deployment. The kill markings made it official: the Cold War tank-killer had become an effective drone hunter.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why has the Air Force kept the A-10 despite trying to retire it?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Air Force has long sought to retire the A-10, calling it too slow, vulnerable, and specialized for the modern battlefield, but Congress repeatedly blocked the effort\u2014and the jet's new drone-hunting role vindicated that. Its reprieve and final deployments are covered in <a href=\\\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/warthogs-last-war-a-10s-deploy-before-retirement\/\\\">the Warthog's last war<\/a>.\"}}]}<\/script><!-- \/mf-faq -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It came home to Portsmouth on October 11, 2025, callsign TABOR61, nose adorned with two small silhouettes of Shahed-type drones alongside the figure of Ares. The Idaho Air National Guard A-10C had just finished six months in the CENTCOM area of responsibility. It had been hunting drones \u2014 and it had found them. The A-10 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":647415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Cold War Jet That Became a Drone Killer | Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It came home to Portsmouth on October 11, 2025, callsign TABOR61, nose adorned with two small silhouettes of Shahed-type drones alongside the figure of.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-cold-war-jet-that-became-a-drone-killer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Cold War Jet That Became a Drone Killer | Afterburner - 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