The United States deployed A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, commonly known as Warthogs, to the Philippines for joint training exercises with the Philippine Air Force. The deployment serves to strengthen the long-standing defense partnership between the two nations.
The A-10s are assigned to the 25th Fighter Squadron, which is based in South Korea. The aircraft arrived at Clark Air Base on Dec. 6, and will remain in the Philippines until Dec. 15.
The training mission is part of the U.S. Air Force’s Dynamic Force Employment (DFE) strategy, which emphasizes strategic predictability and operational unpredictability in contested regions.
The A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft
The A-10, in service with the U.S. Air Force since 1976, is designed for close air support and armed with a 30 mm cannon and up to 16,000 pounds of ordnance. It can target both land-based and maritime threats. It demonstrated its versatility in past operations, including maritime combat patrols in the Gulf of Oman in 2023.
The training mission follows reports of nearly 100 Chinese vessels near the Philippine-held Thitu Island in late November. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea involve overlapping claims by China, the Philippines and other nations. China asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, citing historical rights, while other countries contest this claim.
The U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1951, obligates both nations to respond to attacks on public vessels, aircraft or armed forces in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.
US works to maintain free, open Indo-Pacific
The U.S. Air Force stated that the exercises aim to improve interoperability and enhance shared capabilities with the Philippine Air Force. This mission marks the second recent joint training operation between the two nations, following a fighter jet training exercise over the Philippine Sea in November.
The Pentagon identified the Indo-Pacific as a priority theater, citing growing regional Chinese activity. Regular joint training and deployments, such as the arrival of the A-10s, are part of the U.S. effort to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
