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“The A-10 Thunderbolt II can loiter for hours, standing by and ready to execute a mission whenever needed,” CENTCOM said in the accompanying post on X.

Designed for close air support, the A-10 was built to fly low, slow and close to the fight, providing direct fire support to ground forces and, increasingly, to joint forces operating in contested littoral environments.

Its titanium-armored cockpit, often referred to as a “titanium bathtub,” and redundant flight systems allow it to absorb significant punishment and continue flying under conditions that would ground less hardened aircraft.

In a March 16 video posted to CENTCOM’s official X account, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said U.S. forces had destroyed more than 100 Iranian naval vessels and stated, “We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.”

Roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply transits the strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.