Direct proof of use
U.S. Air Force reporting directly documents A-10 Thunderbolt II combat missions in Operation Inherent Resolve. A July 2017 Air Force article identified Lt. Col. Ben Rudolphi flying A-10 combat missions with the 447th Air Expeditionary Group in the fight against ISIS and described the aircraft as providing rapid close air and contact support with bombs, missiles, and the 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon.
AFCENT reporting from Incirlik separately documented the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron conducting combat operations with A-10C aircraft in April 2017. The same report said maintainers loaded operational munitions and readied A-10Cs for combat operations in the fight against ISIS.
Sources: A-10 pilot spits fire in fight against ISIS, Deployed maintainers keep the BRRRT in the sky
Timeline
The A-10 evidence in this record clusters around the 2017 phase of Operation Inherent Resolve. In April 2017, AFCENT recorded A-10C combat sorties from Incirlik. In July 2017, an Air Force article tied A-10 flying missions to the 447th Air Expeditionary Group and the fight against ISIS. By the end of the year, AFCENT described the 447th Air Expeditionary Group supporting Operation Inherent Resolve with KC-135 refueling, A-10 close-air-support missions, and aircraft maintenance at Incirlik.
A January 2018 Air Force article on the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron placed A-10 operations in the Raqqa fight, saying A-10 Thunderbolt IIs took part in an urban close-air-support role while friendly forces maneuvered through the city.
Sources: Deployed maintainers keep the BRRRT in the sky, A-10 pilot spits fire in fight against ISIS, 22nd EARS enables airpower during the fight against ISIS, A-10s bring thunder, lightning during fight against ISIS
Operational role
In the anti-ISIS campaign, the A-10 appears as a coalition close-air-support and strike aircraft rather than a system transferred to local partner forces. The cited Air Force sources connect it to U.S. expeditionary fighter and air expeditionary group operations, with maintenance and munitions support at Incirlik and aerial refueling over Syria.
The documented missions centered on support to ground forces and partner operations. The Air Force article on Raqqa describes A-10s working in an urban close-air-support role during the battle for the city, while the broader CJTF-OIR campaign description says coalition strikes supported Iraqi Security Forces and partnered forces in Syria as they attacked to liberate territory from ISIS.
Sources: A-10s bring thunder, lightning during fight against ISIS, 22nd EARS enables airpower during the fight against ISIS, CJTF-OIR Campaign
Campaign context
Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve was formally established on October 17, 2014 to command military action against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The task force history describes early coalition air operations, later support to Iraqi Security Forces and partner forces in Syria, and the liberation of Mosul and Raqqa in 2017.
The A-10 record should be read within that coalition airpower layer. The sources used here directly support A-10 use in Operation Inherent Resolve, especially from Incirlik in 2017, but they do not provide a complete sortie count, theater-wide basing history, or a full inventory of every munition expended by A-10 units during the war.
Sources: CJTF-OIR History, A-10 pilot spits fire in fight against ISIS, Deployed maintainers keep the BRRRT in the sky
