The Last A-10 Pilot Class Just Graduated

On April 3 2026, the 357th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base graduated the final class of A-10C Thunderbolt II student pilots. The ceremony marked the end of formal A-10 pilot training in the United States Air Force. The aircraft those pilots trained on is currently flying combat operations over Iran.

The Last Class

The 357th Fighter Squadron, known as the Dragons, is the Air Force’s only formal training unit for A-10 pilots. The six-month course puts students through approximately 40 flights alongside simulator sorties and academic instruction before they qualify as combat-ready pilots. Training begins with basic A-10 airmanship, moves through an air-to-air phase teaching defensive fighting skills, and progresses to surface attack training starting with the GAU-8 30mm cannon and unguided munitions before advancing to precision weapons and complex close air support scenarios. The course trains both active-duty and Air National Guard pilots, graduating approximately 70 total-force pilots annually.

Among the guest speakers at the final graduation was retired Colonel Kim Campbell, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross for landing her A-10 at Baghdad in 2003 after taking heavy anti-aircraft fire that knocked out both hydraulic systems. She flew the aircraft home using the Manual Reversion Flight Control System, operating the jet through mechanical cables and pulleys alone. Her presence at the final graduation connected the aircraft’s combat legacy directly to the ceremony ending its training pipeline.

The students completed their mission qualification training in mid-March with a close air support exercise as the culminating event before the formal April 3 graduation.