"A field-configurable solution designed for installation by operational flight line personnel," the Air Force said — and within weeks the modification moved from concept to combat theater.
How the Probe Refueling Adapter fits the A-10
The Probe Refueling Adapter uses the A-10's existing air-refueling receptacle on the nose and replaces the aircraft's regular nose-mounted receptacle while fitted. The Air Force describes the adapter as field-configurable and says units can install or remove it "in a matter of hours, allowing aircraft to be reconfigured between boom and probe refueling capability based on mission requirements." The capability was first demonstrated in early April and was photographed in operational use on May 9, 2026, when an A-10C took fuel from an HC-130J Combat King II in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Operational deployment: 107th Fighter Squadron in CENTCOM
Imagery released by the U.S. Air Force shows the probe-equipped A-10Cs belong to the 107th Fighter Squadron from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, which the service says deployed to the Middle East in early April. Photographs dated May 9, 2026 depict one A-10C approaching an HC-130J Combat King II for aerial refueling, multiple A-10Cs flying in formation after refueling, and close-ups of the probe in use.
Tankers, limitations, and new flexibility
Before the adapter, non-probe-equipped A-10s could refuel only from the KC-135 because the KC-10 had been retired and the KC-46 was not yet certified to refuel the Warthog. The KC-46 certification delay is attributed in the record to a long-running "stiff boom" problem that risks damaging the receiving aircraft. With the probe fitted, A-10s can take fuel from hose-and-drogue-equipped platforms: Air Force HC-130s and MC-130s, Marine Corps KC-130s, other operators' KC-130Js — and the KC-46 as well, since it carries a hose-and-drogue system in addition to a boom.
Initial tests of the adapter involved an HC-130J from the 418th Flight Test Squadron. The HC-130J family of refuelers can operate from shorter runways and can offload fuel at very low altitudes, operations the KC-135 is not able to perform. Pairing probe-equipped A-10s with these tankers therefore offers planners more options for short-field operations and low-altitude refueling profiles.
Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod, targeting, and ordnance
The images from CENTCOM also show the A-10s employing the Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod. Angry Kitten had previously been test-flown on the A-10 but had not been seen in operational use until now. The pod uses Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) technology to detect, capture and retransmit radio-frequency signals; those signals can be manipulated to create false or confusing tracks and can be used for broader intelligence-gathering purposes. The store is already used operationally by Air Force F-16s and HC-130s and by Navy F/A-18E/Fs.
In the same imagery a probe-equipped A-10C carries a Litening targeting pod and a pair of 500-pound-series Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), reflecting a mix of sensors, EW capability and strike load in the deployed configuration.
What this means for mission planners, HC/MC-130 operators, and CSAR teams
- Mission planners: The probe expands refueling options and supports lower-altitude, short-field profiles that align with Agile Combat Employment concepts. Using C-130-family tankers allows aerial refueling to be staged from shorter, potentially more austere airfields and at lower altitudes than KC-135 boom refueling.
- HC-130/MC-130 operators: The adapter enables those tankers — which can operate from shorter runways and offload at low altitude — to extend the endurance and reach of A-10 escorts and strike sorties, adding flexibility to tanker tasking and basing.
- Combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) teams: The A-10’s probe supports the "Sandy" escort and close-air-support role by extending loiter time and range when working with HC-130s and MC-130s. The record notes A-10s have flown this mission over Iran, and a probe-equipped Warthog could provide longer on-station presence when supporting helicopter recovery operations in contested environments.
The Probe Refueling Adapter is now being exercised in an active theater. The Air Force continues to plan for retirement of the A-10 before the end of the decade, yet the service's imagery from CENTCOM shows the platform evolving: probe refueling, advanced EW via Angry Kitten, targeting pods and precision munitions. The service also speculates that extending probe capability to fighters such as the F-16 and F-15, and potentially future versions of the F-35A, could make C-130-family tankers more central to contested-area operations — while larger boom tankers operate further from the fight.
Whether the short-term operational gains in CENTCOM translate into broader doctrine or hardware changes for other aircraft remains to be seen; for now, the adapter has given the A-10 greater refueling flexibility and kept the type operationally relevant in its final years.
