A-10 WARTHOGS Just OBLITERATED Iran’s Proxies in Syria

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Try Odoo today and your first app is free for life! https://www.odoo.com/r/C5f  The legendary A-10 Warthog just proved why it’s still one of the deadliest close-air support aircraft in the U.S. military. In a recent operation over Syria, these aging but powerful planes delivered precision strikes against Iranian-backed militias, reinforcing America’s dominance in the region. But with the A-10 set to retire soon, is this its final battlefield victory? Watch now to see why the Warthog refuses to go quietly.  Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfak8fBm_Lhy4eX9UKxEpA/join  #militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis #themilitaryshow  SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/ajdwTEQw ATTRIBUTIONS: https://pastebin.com/vt6xf840

Transcript

00:00Change has hit Syria. Former leader Bashar al-Assad is gone, but civil war remains. While

00:06the new ruling party works to establish a government, other nations in the area are

00:10keeping a close watch, including Iran. Knowing how much Iran would love to have a hand in

00:15the future of the country, the US armed forces are trying to suppress Iranian proxies in

00:20the region, and in some cases they're doing so by force.

00:23In fact, one of the most recent and notable operations that the US military undertook

00:28was the airstrike on various militia compounds by the US Air Force. Notable about the airstrike

00:33were the type of airplanes used. These are planes that have been in use for almost half

00:37a century, but are still technologically and strategically ahead of what Middle Eastern

00:41nations are using. They are a clear message to the world, and specifically Iran, that

00:46the US military still reigns supreme, even with tech that's considered obsolete by

00:51its own standards. We're talking about the venerable A-10 Warthog.

00:55Let's start with the basics of the attack. In late November, the US deployed a number

00:59of its A-10 Warthog attack aircraft to perform precise targeted strikes on key locations

01:04in the east and south of Syria. The attacks were caught on video and posted on social

01:09media, showing the distinctive outline of the Warthog flying over urban areas. In one

01:13report, the aircraft was spotted over Deir Ezzor, an area under the control of the Syrian-Iranian

01:18backed regime. It should also be noted that the city itself is far from the regions that

01:23were recently affected by Syrian rebels, which were in the northwest of the country.

01:26Contrary to the US's use of the A-10 Warthog to advance and pacify portions of the territory

01:31during the War on Terror in the 2000s, the strategy used in this instance is more passive

01:36and supportive in nature. The rebels, who were the biggest danger to Al-Assad's regime

01:40in recent years, had already managed to take over Aleppo. This meant that the US strikes

01:44were essentially on the other end of the country, and were away from the established US military

01:48presence in the south of Syria. According to a report by the Pentagon, the

01:52Warthogs were used primarily for defensive purposes. Nonetheless, they killed at least

01:5650 militia members, and destroyed vital military equipment that would reinforce the villages

02:00surrounding Deir Ezzor. This part of the country is split between the US-backed and Kurdish-led

02:05Syrian Diplomatic Forces, or SDF, territory to the north, and the then-reigning regime

02:10to the south. By performing these strikes, the US essentially ensured that Iran and its

02:14proxies would have to reinforce that area, rather than go to the northwest and create

02:18a direct counter-offensive.

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03:31Before we go any further, there are a few things we need to untangle here, as the entire

03:34situation is somewhat convoluted.

03:37First, Syria is one of the few countries in the Middle East where the US has maintained

03:41a presence even after the War on Terror. This is due to the country's fragmentation

03:45into several areas, controlled by different factions and supported by various countries.

03:50For the most part, the majority of the country used to belong to the regime governed by Al-Assad.

03:54The regime controlled the largest and central area, including the three largest cities,

03:59Damascus, Homs, and Aleppo. To the east, bordering the governmental territory through the Euphrates

04:04River, which is where the recent attacks took place, is the SDF, which has been one of the

04:08major oppositions to the Assad government for the past several years. This is mainly

04:12due to their holding a significant amount of territory that is naturally separated from

04:15the rest of Syria and being defended with US forces and military equipment.

04:19A relatively newer faction is the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS, which is comprised

04:25of various rebel groups. Up until recently, the HTS only controlled a small area in Syria's

04:30northwest, centered on Idlib and bordering Turkey, which has been a major supporter and

04:34opponent of the group throughout the seven years of its existence. However, in November,

04:38the HTS mounted a major insurgency, starting with the area it controlled. With an estimate

04:43of around 30,000 fighters at the time of the strike, HTS is one of the less populous groups

04:47vying for control over Syria. Additionally, it is mainly self-funded, with minimal Turkish

04:52support. In fact, the Turkish government paradoxically declared the HTS a terrorist organization

04:57but has also allowed it to work alongside the official Turkish-backed Syrian army, which

05:01is stationed along the Turkey-Syria border. The US itself maintained a zone of control

05:05with military bases at the intersection of the Iraq-Syria-Israel border. Additionally,

05:10Israel has maintained a claim over a small portion of the area bordering it, mainly to

05:14deter Iranian-backed factions from attacking Israel from Syrian soil, which they have done

05:18with mixed results. With so many factions inside Syria, all with

05:22wildly varying goals, levels of international support and military preparedness, it is no

05:26surprise that the Syrian Civil War has been a logistical, humanitarian, and historical

05:31nightmare to follow for decades. But for our purposes, we'll focus on the US and the

05:35SDF that it's supporting, as the A-10 Warthog strikes in late November were primarily conducted

05:40to help the SDF and its auxiliary goals. Some analysts aren't quite certain why the

05:44US maintains a considerable military presence in Syria to conduct attacks. For one, the

05:49American War on Terror ended a few years ago, so most of the US forces have left the region.

05:53It has also cost the US enormous amounts of money, with the combined conflicts estimated

05:57to cost around $8 trillion as of 2023, as well as causing close to a million casualties

06:02in the process, with the true death toll count estimated to be even higher.

06:06So with Syria in practically endless turmoil between various factions, why didn't the

06:10US repeat the same process it did with Iraq when the War on Terror was declared to be

06:14over? Even if there were still groups that needed to be dealt with, at least according

06:17to US military intelligence, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were considered to be over

06:22despite significant losses for the US. One of the possible reasons is that the US

06:26is still protecting Israel from continuous attacks from Iran's proxies, Syria included.

06:31Considering that the conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Gaza is still ongoing, Iranian

06:35proxies are using long-range missile and drone strikes to continuously test the latter's

06:39defense. The US providing aid to Syrian rebels is predicated on the belief that they won't

06:44then put all of their efforts into threatening Israel, thus ensuring a modicum of control

06:47in the Middle East. Both Iraq and Afghanistan don't really pose a significant threat to

06:51Israel, which is what could explain the different approaches in how the US military is stationed.

06:56But another, more subtle reason might be that the US wants to use Syria's resources, particularly

07:01oil. During the civil war, there have been multiple reports of US occupational forces

07:05stealing tankers of oil from Syria and smuggling them across the border in Iraq, where they

07:09are believed to have been delivered to US military bases. What happened to the oil after

07:13it left Syria is up for debate, but it's likely that it's either being used inside

07:16military bases or forwarded elsewhere. Syria's foreign ministry estimated that if the reports

07:21are true, the overall damage dealt to the Syrian economy is around $111 billion, which

07:26is a significant portion of the country's total economy. Thus, from an economic standpoint,

07:30the US military maintaining a presence in Syria based on oil for its Middle East efforts

07:35does make sense, since the process removes the higher costs of shipping and transporting

07:39the oil from the US mainland or other countries. However, Syria itself is already in an energy

07:44crisis because of the decades-long civil war that has torn up the domestic industries and

07:49manufacturing capacities, which makes allegations of the US stealing oil even more pronounced.

07:54Of course, Syria has also heavily benefited from US interventions, both financially and

07:59militarily. The US donated $1.2 billion in 2024 alone, with somewhat smaller donations

08:04present practically every year. But there's also the question of whether US troops, or

08:08the US military in general, should be used abroad, especially after the shortcomings

08:12of the War on Terror. To this day, opinions remain divided on the topic. On the one hand,

08:17the US military being deployed in the Middle East has cost American taxpayers billions

08:21of dollars, and the soldiers themselves have been exposed to conditions and long-term warfare

08:25that would leave anyone scarred. The US military has lost 99 soldiers ever since the anti-ISIS

08:30missions began in the country seven years ago. While this death toll is practically

08:34insignificant compared to the losses accrued by Syrians, it's still something that many

08:38people will consider when discussing whether US troops should be deployed halfway across

08:42the world. On the other hand, it's likely that the mere presence of US troops has helped

08:46dissuade Iranian proxies from trying to push to gain control over larger swathes of Syrian

08:50territory. While this has effectively prolonged the civil war by at least a few years, it's

08:55also prevented the country from becoming completely influenced and dictated by the Iranian agenda.

09:00But how has that shaped the attacks, led by the A-10 Warthogs, that have happened in recent

09:04months? Well, the Warthogs have been used to effectively cut off Syrian supply lines

09:08to Iraq and Iran. These supply lines would have likely allowed the Assad regime to retake

09:12Aleppo from the rebels. Thus, even though the US troops ostensibly acted in self-defense,

09:17it can be argued that there was a greater strategy in place. So what type of aircraft

09:21is the Warthog that it can have such an important role?

09:24The A-10 Warthog, technically called the Thunderbolt 2, is a close-range combat aircraft that was

09:29developed back in the late 1960s and started production in 1972. This makes it one of the

09:34oldest types of aircraft that the US Air Force currently uses. And yet it was purpose-built

09:39to be as rugged and durable as possible, which is why some of the aircraft are decades

09:43old and have logged tens of thousands of flight hours.

09:46The US established the Warthog as a durable, survivable, and most of all cost-effective

09:51combat aircraft that will be easy to repair and maintain for future missions. It features

09:55a rugged airframe with titanium armor, often referred to as a bathtub, which surrounds

10:00the pilot, providing unparalleled survivability against ground-based threats like anti-aircraft

10:05guns and missiles. The aircraft can withstand significant damage, including losing one engine,

10:10portions of the tail or a wing section, and remain operational.

10:14The aircraft's main armament is the GAU-8A Avenger rotary cannon, a 30mm Gatling gun

10:20capable of firing 3,900 rounds per minute and is devastating against armored vehicles,

10:26tanks, and fortified ground targets, not to mention infantry. Other armaments include

10:31AGM-65 Maverick missiles, laser-guided bombs, rockets, and cluster munitions, making the

10:36Warthog extremely versatile.

10:38When it's all put together, the aircraft displays incredible versatility, at least

10:42considering it's an aerial platform that's been in use for decades. The A-10 can operate

10:46from short, rugged airstrips close to the front lines, ensuring quick response times.

10:51Meanwhile, its low-speed maneuverability allows it to loiter in combat zones, providing sustained

10:56air support to ground troops. This has been vital in the battlefields in the Middle East

11:00as the military bases could house aircraft without building a dedicated runway to perform

11:04long-range strikes. It should be noted that the U.S. military is tight-lipped on what

11:08aircraft or other military equipment is stationed in each of its bases. The planes that were

11:12spotted above Deir Ezzor, if that was even the correct location, could have come from

11:16any of the U.S. bases. However, they are most likely to have been deployed from somewhere

11:20nearby as it would minimize the media exposure and provide minimal foretelling of the operations

11:25to the enemy.

11:26Of course, while the aircraft was designed and first built in the 1970s, that doesn't

11:30mean the entire design has remained in that decade. Modernized A-10s are equipped with

11:34advanced targeting pods, such as the Sniper or Lightning pods, which enhance precision

11:38targeting with infrared and laser-guided technology. As such, the A-10 remains highly effective

11:43in roles pertaining to asymmetrical warfare, despite its age. Its ability to deliver precise

11:48firepower in support of ground forces is unmatched, excelling in asymmetric warfare, where ground

11:54targets often include lightly armored vehicles, enemy positions, and insurgent forces.

11:58In conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, the A-10 has been instrumental in providing CAAS

12:03close air support to troops in challenging terrain and dense urban areas. Its original

12:08role as a tank buster remains relevant in scenarios where adversaries deploy mechanized

12:13forces. Both of these effects have neatly translated to its more recent successes in

12:17Syria as the planes don't need to do much more than deliver a few precise strikes to

12:20be effective.

12:21This is best showcased by the aforementioned asymmetrical nature of the conflict. While

12:25Iran consistently supports its proxy militia and troops across the Middle East, it's

12:29unclear how much of that support goes to common anti-air defenses and armored vehicles. The

12:34main attacks on Israel from abroad have been via long-range missiles, and the US, the UK,

12:39and Israel have launched multiple shellings via helicopter or fighter aircraft, none of

12:43which have met significant resistance so far. This would imply that Iran simply doesn't

12:47have enough anti-air platforms to spare to send to its proxies. Even if they could, it's

12:51highly unlikely that they will be of much use, as the US Air Force has airplanes that

12:55are much more capable than the simple A-10. For example, where the A-10 suffers is in

13:00technological warfare and sheer lack of speed compared to modern engines and detection systems.

13:05The main multi-role fighter aircraft that the US Air Force currently fields, the F-22s

13:09and F-35s, can blow the A-10 out of the water. However, both of these aircraft are significantly

13:14more expensive to field, deploy, repair, and maintain. In an area bereft of resources such

13:20the military bases in Syria, the A-10 can remain operational locally. The F-22s and

13:25F-35s have to be flown in from elsewhere, further increasing the overall costs and

13:29complexity of each mission. This also reduces some of the freedom that the US command has

13:34when declaring vital military targets to take down. Consider the scale of the attacks launched

13:38via the A-10s. The planes were deployed to kill people, demolish bridges, and destroy

13:42vehicles. While more modern aircraft can accomplish all of that and much more,

13:46they could be considered overkill in terms of resources used in an attack.

13:50As mentioned, the A-10 has a much lower operational cost than a modern aircraft,

13:53which is precisely why they've been deployed in Syria for years. What the recent attack has

13:57showcased is their effectiveness and deadliness. Reports from May 2023 suggested that the US Air

14:03Force had already started using the Warthogs en masse by then. The aircraft were ordered

14:07to patrol the airspace around Syria as part of a greater effort to increase the US military

14:12presence throughout the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq, and even in the Red Sea. Using the A-10s in this

14:17manner is perhaps their only way to remain relevant in modern times. While the aircraft

14:21was arguably designed to shoot down targets during the Cold War, specifically to counter

14:25the Soviet Union, modern Russian and Chinese anti-air defenses are more than capable of

14:29annihilating them. Thus, while patrolling the Middle East, the Warthogs see much less

14:33anti-air presence overall, especially outside of Israel and Iran, arguably the two most militaristic

14:38nations in the region. This allows the Warthogs to still eke out a semblance of usability.

14:43As proof of that sentiment, there have been multiple calls to remove the Warthogs from

14:46service entirely, with the Air Force citing the same reasons for the aircraft's obsoletion as

14:51we have in this video. However, Congress has blocked these requests. Where does that leave

14:55us today? Well, the US Air Force is estimated to have around 280 A-10s in active service,

15:00but it's uncertain whether all of those planes are fully operational or in storage.

15:04It's not clear how many of these were deployed in Syria as part of the ongoing

15:08patrol attempts or directed attacks. However, regardless of the number of aircraft deployed,

15:12one thing's for certain, they've certainly proven that they still have some use in modern military

15:16doctrines. But that might not be for long. The A-10s may be having their last hurrah,

15:21fighting against enemies that have very few ways to mount a counter-threat. However,

15:25at the moment, the US is still willing to deploy its air forces to Syria,

15:28and even more importantly, conduct targeted, offensive strikes on personnel and equipment,

15:32moves that will likely help the ongoing dissolution of the Assad regime. With the

15:36rebels allowed to move relatively unhampered by Iranian reinforcements, this was likely one of

15:41the major reasons why Assad, as well as Iranian and Russian forces, were forced to flee from the

15:45country only a few weeks later. Of course, the complexity of the Syrian war means that the A-10s

15:50played only a small part in the bigger picture. The fall of Assad's regime has repercussions for

15:55both Iran and Russia, those two countries practically banked on the Syrian civil war

15:59going on for years and creating a diversion for their own purposes, namely influencing

16:03the anti-US rhetoric in the Middle East. Without al-Assad at the helm of Syria, there's an

16:08opportunity for the country to eschew its connections to the East and lean more to the

16:11West, likely with HDS forming a new government. According to the new leadership, the hope is that

16:16Syria will, "...become a normal country by engaging in productive diplomacy with other nations,

16:21specifically Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Russia, and the US, as those have had the most influence

16:26over the civil war's outcome." But there's another possible message that the US is sending

16:30to Iran with its warthogs. Even with the A-10s on their way out, it's likely that the patrols and

16:35attacks not only continue in the surrounding areas, but are ramped up. If the US Air Force

16:39doesn't really have any more viable targets to direct its planes at in the foreseeable future,

16:44chances are high that it will keep its focus on Iran and its proxies, creating more casualties

16:49from relentless aerial attacks. Add to that the fact that Israel has become even more aggressive

16:53towards Iran than before, launching long-range strikes designed to take out vital anti-air

16:57defenses, and Iran looks to be in one of the worst positions that it's ever been so far.

17:02But what do you think? Will we see more A-10 warthogs being used against Iranian forces?

17:06Let us know in the comments below and thank you for watching.

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