The US Air Force Weapons School has ended its dedicated A-10 training pipeline after the A-10C completed its final Weapons School sortie with the 66th Weapons Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The milestone flight took place in August and involved the Thunderbolt II used in the school’s last training mission for the aircraft, including 82-0665, the final A-10 ever built.
The sortie was flown by squadron commander Lt. Col. Ridge Flick and later photographed at Nellis in mid-September. Closing the A-10 program removes a long-running advanced training track for one of the Air Force’s most recognisable close-air-support aircraft, even as the type continues to serve in the force.
The Weapons School has long used the A-10 to train instructors in advanced attack, integration and mission-planning tactics. Ending that pipeline brings the aircraft’s presence at the school to a close after years of specialised training focused on the Thunderbolt II’s battlefield role.