공격기 A-10, 현지개조 공중급유 드로그와 센서 포드 장착하고 작전중

[위종민]

When Computers Went To Sea | 미국공군 F-16의 새로운 ECM pod - Daum 카페

미국공군 F-16의 새로운 ECM pod

A-10C가 이란 전쟁에서 신형 프로브 앤 드로그 방식 공중급유시스템과 앵그리 키튼 전자전 포드를 장착하고 비행중이네요. A-10이 저속이라 공중급유 중 문제가 있었나 봅니다. 저속으로 날 수 있는 C-130계열 급유기에서 급유를 받을 수 있게 개조한 것 같네요. 

A-10 개량 진행: 워트호그, 중동에서 새로운 공중급유 프로브와 전자전 포드 장착하고 비행 중

Chris Gordon
2026년 5월 22일

이달 초 촬영된 공식 사진에서 중동에 배치된 A-10 썬더볼트 II 공격기들이 새로운 프로브-앤드-드로그 방식 공중급유 시스템을 장착하고 비행 및 공중급유를 수행하는 모습이 포착됐다. 이는 해당 시스템이 A-10용 신속 개발 개조안으로 발표된 지 한 달 만의 일이다. 이 항공기들은 새로운 전자전 포드도 장착하고 있었다.

새로운 프로브가 없을 경우, A-10은 제한적인 추력 때문에 현재 “플라잉 붐” 급유 시스템용 리셉터클을 사용하는 KC-135 스트래토탱커로부터만 공중급유를 받을 수 있다.

‘프로브 리퓨얼링 어댑터(Probe Refueling Adapter)’라고 불리는 이 새로운 개조는 공군 주방위군 및 공군예비군 시험센터(AATC)가 주도했으며, 이 기관은 이를 “긴급 전투사령부 요구사항”에 대응한 것이라고 설명했다.

중동에는 24대 이상의 A-10이 배치된 것으로 알려져 있으며, 이들은 이라크 내 이란 지원 민병대를 공격하고 호르무즈 해협에서 이란 소형정을 타격해 왔다. 또한 격추된 F-15E 스트라이크 이글 조종사 2명을 구출하기 위한 수일간의 전투 탐색구조 작전에도 참가했으며, 이 과정에서 A-10 한 대가 격추됐지만 조종사는 아군 지역 상공에서 탈출했다. 현재 A-10들은 미국의 이란 항만 봉쇄 작전 집행을 지원하고 있다.

프로브-앤드-드로그 급유 시스템은 끝부분에 깔때기 모양 드로그가 달린 유연한 호스를 사용하며, 이 호스가 급유를 받는 항공기의 프로브에 연결된다. 반면 “플라잉 붐” 방식은 단단한 신축식 튜브를 사용한다.

이번 프로브 개조는 저속 비행하는 A-10이 다양한 항공기로부터 급유를 받을 수 있게 한다. 여기에는 전투 탐색구조용 HC-130J 컴뱃 킹 II와 특수작전용 MC-130 코만도 II 같은 특수형 C-130 계열 항공기, 해병대 KC-130과 같은 타군 항공기들도 포함된다. 또한 이는 A-10이 KC-46 페가수스 급유기로부터도 급유를 받을 수 있게 해 준다. KC-46은 KC-135와 함께 중동 지역 공중급유 전력의 상당 부분을 구성하고 있다. KC-46은 프로브-앤드-드로그 시스템을 갖추고 있으며, 개조된 A-10의 경우 기존 공군 방식으로 급유할 때 발생하는 “stiff boom” 문제를 극복하는 데 도움이 될 수 있다.

2026년 5월 9일 미 중부사령부 책임구역 상공에서 HC-130J 컴뱃 킹 II 항공기로부터 공중급유를 받은 뒤 편대를 이루어 비행 중인 미 공군 A-10C 썬더볼트 II 항공기 3대. 미 공군 사진

급유 프로브를 장착한 채 포착된 A-10들은 미시간주 셀프리지 공군주방위군기지 소속 제107전투비행단 기체들로, 지난달 중동에 전개됐다.

중동에서 수행된 프로브 리퓨얼링 어댑터 장착 A-10 비행은 현재 일부 연구개발 작업이 계속 진행 중인 이 개조안의 운용 시험의 일환이라고 미 정부 관계자가 Air & Space Forces Magazine에 밝혔다. 이 프로브는 아직 중동 지역 A-10의 표준 장비는 아니다.

미국 본토와 중동에서 진행된 프로브 시험비행에는 HC-130이 사용됐다. 이 기종은 이미 A-10의 별명인 워트호그가 지원하는 “샌디(Sandy)” 전투 탐색구조 임무를 위해 HH-60 헬기에 공중급유를 수행하는 항공기다.

A-10은 2023년 이후 CENTCOM에 순환 배치 형태로 지속 전개되고 있다. 당시 CENTCOM은 지역 내 공군력을 강화하기 위해 해당 기종 배치를 요청했다. 당시 이 항공기들은 신속히 개조되어 다수의 소구경폭탄(SDB)을 탑재할 수 있게 되었고, 화력이 향상됐다.

새로 공개된 사진들은 또한 A-10들이 “앵그리 키튼(Angry Kitten)” 전자전 포드를 장착하고 있는 모습도 보여준다. 이 역시 AATC의 또 다른 프로그램이다.

2026년 5월 9일 미 중부사령부 책임구역 상공에서 공중급유를 위해 HC-130J 컴뱃 킹 II 항공기에 접근 중인 미 공군 A-10C 썬더볼트 II 항공기. 항공기 좌측 날개 아래에는 앵그리 키튼 전자전 포드가 장착되어 있다. 미 공군 사진

이 시스템은 미국 내 시험 과정에서 A-10에 장착된 적은 있었지만, 전투지역에서 워트호그에 실제 사용된 것이 알려진 것은 이번이 처음이다. 앵그리 키튼 시스템은 원래 적 위협을 모의하기 위한 신속 재프로그래밍 가능한 훈련 도구로 개발됐다. 그러나 최근 몇 년간 공군은 이 시스템의 공격 능력을 연구해 왔고, 현재는 실제로 운용 중이다.

앵그리 키튼 포드는 이란을 상대로 한 ‘오퍼레이션 에픽 퓨리(Operation Epic Fury)’에서 실전 데뷔했으며, 미군이 공개한 사진 속 F-16 파이팅 팰컨에 장착된 모습으로 등장했다.

2026년 3월 14일 오퍼레이션 에픽 퓨리 임무 수행을 위해 이륙하는 미 공군 F-16 파이팅 팰컨 항공기. 항공기 중앙 하부에 앵그리 키튼 전자전 포드가 장착되어 있다. 미 공군 사진

앵그리 키튼은 기존 전자전 시스템보다 훨씬 쉽게 재프로그래밍할 수 있도록 설계됐다. 기존 시스템은 일반적으로 새로운 적 위협에 대응하기 위해 전선 후방에서 전문가들이 업데이트해야 했다. 이 포드들은 적대적 공역에서 사용되며 정기적으로 갱신된다.

해군 EA-18 그라울러를 포함한 전용 전자전기들도 이란을 상대로 임무를 수행해 왔으며, 이들은 다른 항공기들을 위험 지역까지 호위하는 역할을 수행할 수 있다. 또한 공군 EC-130 및 EA-37 컴퍼스 콜 재밍 항공기들은 목표물에서 더 떨어진 거리에서 작전하고 있다.

공군은 A-10의 퇴역 계획을 최소 2030년까지 연기한 상태다.

Revamped A-10 Flying in Middle East with Refueling Probe, EW Pod

Revamped A-10 Flying in Middle East with Refueling Probe, EW Pod

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft refuels from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo

Expand Photo

A-10 Revamped: Warthog Flying in Middle East with New Refueling Probe, EW Pod

May 22, 2026 | By Chris Gordon

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

Share Article

A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.

Warthogs in the region have been spotted in official photos from earlier this month flying and refueling with a new probe-and-drogue aerial-tanking system. That comes a month after that system was announced as a rapid development for the A-10. The aircraft were also carrying a novel electronic warfare pod.

Without the new probe, the A-10’s limited thrust currently allows the aircraft to refuel only from KC-135 Stratotankers, using receptacles for “flying boom” tanking systems.

The new modification, called the Probe Refueling Adapter, was spearheaded by the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, known as AATC, in response to what the organization has called an “urgent combatant command requirement.”

Over two dozen A-10s are known to be based in the Middle East, where they have attacked Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in Iraq and struck Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz. They also participated in a multiday combat search and rescue operation to save the two aviators of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle, during which one A-10 was shot down, though its pilot ejected over friendly territory. A-10s are currently helping enforce the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

A probe-and-drogue refueling system uses a flexible hose with a funnel-shaped drogue at its end, and the hose plugs into the probe on the receiving airplane. The “flying boom” uses a firm, telescoping tube.

The probe modification allows the slow-moving A-10 to refuel from a variety of aircraft, including specialized C-130 variants, such as the HC-130J Combat King II used for combat search and rescue and the MC-130 Commando II special operations plane, as well as other services’ aircraft, such as Marine Corps KC-130s. It would also allow the A-10 to refuel from KC-46 Pegasus tankers, which, along with KC-135s, make up much of the armada of refueling aircraft force arrayed in the Middle East. The KC-46 is equipped with a probe-and-drogue system, which, for modified A-10s, could help overcome a “stiff boom” issue that currently prevents the type from refueling A-10s using the traditional Air Force method.

Three U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft fly in formation after aerial refueling from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo

The A-10s spotted with the refueling probes are from the 107th Fighter Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., which deployed to the Middle East last month.

A-10 flights with the Probe Refueling Adapter in the Middle East are part of operational testing for the modification, which is still undergoing some research and development work, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The probe is not yet standard equipment for A-10s in the region.

Test flights of the probe in the U.S. and the Middle East have used HC-130s, the type of aircraft that already refuels HH-60 helicopters for the “Sandy” CSAR mission, which the A-10, nicknamed the Warthog, supports.

There have been A-10s continuously deployed on a rotational basis to CENTCOM since 2023, when the command requested the planes to bolster its airpower in the region. Back then, the aircraft were quickly modified to carry a heavy load of Small Diameter Bombs, improving their firepower.

The newly released photos also show A-10s carrying “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pods, another program from ATTC.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft approaches an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for aerial refueling in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. An Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod is fitted under the aircraft’s left wing. U.S. Air Force photo

The system has been fitted to the A-10 during testing in the U.S., but it has not yet been known to have been previously used on Warthogs in a combat zone. The Angry Kitten system was originally developed as a quickly reprogrammable training tool to simulate enemy threats. In the past few years, the Air Force has been exploring—and now employing—its attack capabilities.

The Angry Kitten pod made its combat debut in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, appearing on F-16 Fighting Falcons in images released by the U.S. military.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft takes off for a mission during Operation Epic Fury, March 14, 2026. An Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod is fitted on the centerline of the aircraft. U.S. Air Force photo

Angry Kitten is designed to be more easily reprogrammable compared to previous electronic warfare systems, which traditionally have to be updated against new enemy threats away from the front lines by specialists. The pods are used in hostile airspace and regularly refreshed.

Dedicated electronic warfare aircraft have flown missions against Iran, including Navy EA-18 Growlers, which can help escort other aircraft into harm’s way, and Air Force EC-130 and EA-37 Compass Call jamming aircraft, which operate further from targets.

The Air Force has delayed the retirement of the A-10 until at least 2030.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft refuels from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo

Expand Photo

A-10 Revamped: Warthog Flying in Middle East with New Refueling Probe, EW Pod

May 22, 2026 | By Chris Gordon

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

Share Article

A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.

Warthogs in the region have been spotted in official photos from earlier this month flying and refueling with a new probe-and-drogue aerial-tanking system. That comes a month after that system was announced as a rapid development for the A-10. The aircraft were also carrying a novel electronic warfare pod.

Without the new probe, the A-10’s limited thrust currently allows the aircraft to refuel only from KC-135 Stratotankers, using receptacles for “flying boom” tanking systems.

The new modification, called the Probe Refueling Adapter, was spearheaded by the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, known as AATC, in response to what the organization has called an “urgent combatant command requirement.”

Over two dozen A-10s are known to be based in the Middle East, where they have attacked Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in Iraq and struck Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz. They also participated in a multiday combat search and rescue operation to save the two aviators of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle, during which one A-10 was shot down, though its pilot ejected over friendly territory. A-10s are currently helping enforce the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

A probe-and-drogue refueling system uses a flexible hose with a funnel-shaped drogue at its end, and the hose plugs into the probe on the receiving airplane. The “flying boom” uses a firm, telescoping tube.

The probe modification allows the slow-moving A-10 to refuel from a variety of aircraft, including specialized C-130 variants, such as the HC-130J Combat King II used for combat search and rescue and the MC-130 Commando II special operations plane, as well as other services’ aircraft, such as Marine Corps KC-130s. It would also allow the A-10 to refuel from KC-46 Pegasus tankers, which, along with KC-135s, make up much of the armada of refueling aircraft force arrayed in the Middle East. The KC-46 is equipped with a probe-and-drogue system, which, for modified A-10s, could help overcome a “stiff boom” issue that currently prevents the type from refueling A-10s using the traditional Air Force method.

Three U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft fly in formation after aerial refueling from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo

The A-10s spotted with the refueling probes are from the 107th Fighter Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., which deployed to the Middle East last month.

A-10 flights with the Probe Refueling Adapter in the Middle East are part of operational testing for the modification, which is still undergoing some research and development work, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The probe is not yet standard equipment for A-10s in the region.

Test flights of the probe in the U.S. and the Middle East have used HC-130s, the type of aircraft that already refuels HH-60 helicopters for the “Sandy” CSAR mission, which the A-10, nicknamed the Warthog, supports.

There have been A-10s continuously deployed on a rotational basis to CENTCOM since 2023, when the command requested the planes to bolster its airpower in the region. Back then, the aircraft were quickly modified to carry a heavy load of Small Diameter Bombs, improving their firepower.

The newly released photos also show A-10s carrying “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pods, another program from ATTC.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft approaches an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for aerial refueling in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. An Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod is fitted under the aircraft’s left wing. U.S. Air Force photo

The system has been fitted to the A-10 during testing in the U.S., but it has not yet been known to have been previously used on Warthogs in a combat zone. The Angry Kitten system was originally developed as a quickly reprogrammable training tool to simulate enemy threats. In the past few years, the Air Force has been exploring—and now employing—its attack capabilities.

The Angry Kitten pod made its combat debut in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, appearing on F-16 Fighting Falcons in images released by the U.S. military.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft takes off for a mission during Operation Epic Fury, March 14, 2026. An Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod is fitted on the centerline of the aircraft. U.S. Air Force photo

Angry Kitten is designed to be more easily reprogrammable compared to previous electronic warfare systems, which traditionally have to be updated against new enemy threats away from the front lines by specialists. The pods are used in hostile airspace and regularly refreshed.

Dedicated electronic warfare aircraft have flown missions against Iran, including Navy EA-18 Growlers, which can help escort other aircraft into harm’s way, and Air Force EC-130 and EA-37 Compass Call jamming aircraft, which operate further from targets.

The Air Force has delayed the retirement of the A-10 until at least 2030.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft refuels from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo

Expand Photo

A-10 Revamped: Warthog Flying in Middle East with New Refueling Probe, EW Pod

May 22, 2026 | By Chris Gordon

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

Share Article

A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.

Warthogs in the region have been spotted in official photos from earlier this month flying and refueling with a new probe-and-drogue aerial-tanking system. That comes a month after that system was announced as a rapid development for the A-10. The aircraft were also carrying a novel electronic warfare pod.

Without the new probe, the A-10’s limited thrust currently allows the aircraft to refuel only from KC-135 Stratotankers, using receptacles for “flying boom” tanking systems.

The new modification, called the Probe Refueling Adapter, was spearheaded by the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, known as AATC, in response to what the organization has called an “urgent combatant command requirement.”

Over two dozen A-10s are known to be based in the Middle East, where they have attacked Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in Iraq and struck Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz. They also participated in a multiday combat search and rescue operation to save the two aviators of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle, during which one A-10 was shot down, though its pilot ejected over friendly territory. A-10s are currently helping enforce the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

A probe-and-drogue refueling system uses a flexible hose with a funnel-shaped drogue at its end, and the hose plugs into the probe on the receiving airplane. The “flying boom” uses a firm, telescoping tube.

The probe modification allows the slow-moving A-10 to refuel from a variety of aircraft, including specialized C-130 variants, such as the HC-130J Combat King II used for combat search and rescue and the MC-130 Commando II special operations plane, as well as other services’ aircraft, such as Marine Corps KC-130s. It would also allow the A-10 to refuel from KC-46 Pegasus tankers, which, along with KC-135s, make up much of the armada of refueling aircraft force arrayed in the Middle East. The KC-46 is equipped with a probe-and-drogue system, which, for modified A-10s, could help overcome a “stiff boom” issue that currently prevents the type from refueling A-10s using the traditional Air Force method.

Three U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft fly in formation after aerial refueling from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo

The A-10s spotted with the refueling probes are from the 107th Fighter Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., which deployed to the Middle East last month.

A-10 flights with the Probe Refueling Adapter in the Middle East are part of operational testing for the modification, which is still undergoing some research and development work, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The probe is not yet standard equipment for A-10s in the region.

Test flights of the probe in the U.S. and the Middle East have used HC-130s, the type of aircraft that already refuels HH-60 helicopters for the “Sandy” CSAR mission, which the A-10, nicknamed the Warthog, supports.

There have been A-10s continuously deployed on a rotational basis to CENTCOM since 2023, when the command requested the planes to bolster its airpower in the region. Back then, the aircraft were quickly modified to carry a heavy load of Small Diameter Bombs, improving their firepower.

The newly released photos also show A-10s carrying “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pods, another program from ATTC.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft approaches an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for aerial refueling in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 9, 2026. An Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod is fitted under the aircraft’s left wing. U.S. Air Force photo

The system has been fitted to the A-10 during testing in the U.S., but it has not yet been known to have been previously used on Warthogs in a combat zone. The Angry Kitten system was originally developed as a quickly reprogrammable training tool to simulate enemy threats. In the past few years, the Air Force has been exploring—and now employing—its attack capabilities.

The Angry Kitten pod made its combat debut in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, appearing on F-16 Fighting Falcons in images released by the U.S. military.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft takes off for a mission during Operation Epic Fury, March 14, 2026. An Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod is fitted on the centerline of the aircraft. U.S. Air Force photo

Angry Kitten is designed to be more easily reprogrammable compared to previous electronic warfare systems, which traditionally have to be updated against new enemy threats away from the front lines by specialists. The pods are used in hostile airspace and regularly refreshed.

Dedicated electronic warfare aircraft have flown missions against Iran, including Navy EA-18 Growlers, which can help escort other aircraft into harm’s way, and Air Force EC-130 and EA-37 Compass Call jamming aircraft, which operate further from targets.

The Air Force has delayed the retirement of the A-10 until at least 2030.

[김용우]

A-10이 느려서 공군의 제트수송기 베이스 급유기들에게서 공중급유 시 제한사항이 있긴 한 모양이지만 그렇게 큰 문제는 아니었고 이번 업그레이드는 그보다는 기존 급유기 말고 C-130계열 기체들을 동원해서 공중급유 가능하게 만들어 현재 점점 쪼그라들고 있는 공중급유기 운용상황에서 전선 배치 급유기 세력을 증가시키는 효과를 노린게 아닐까 하내요. A-10 같은 경우는 15나 16같은 패스트무버들과 달리 저속비행 조종성이 좋아서 C-130처럼 속도가 느린 급유기에서 급유할 때 프로브 앤 붐 급유 경험이 없던 공군조종사라도 큰 어려움 없이 바로 적응가능할 것 같기도 하고...
아래 사진에 나온 18들이 AOA를 높여서 억지로 페이스를 맞추고 있는 거처럼 패스트 무버들은 130에서 급유하면 130 속력이 늦어서 상당히 높은 숙련도를 요하는 모양이더군요.

[위종민]

오 기사처럼 A-10에 방점을 둔 개량이 아니라 C-130계열 공중급유기 운용 효율화가 목표라는 말씀이시네요 고견 감사드립니다