US Completes 10-Aircraft A-10 Deployment as KC-135 Departs NAS Sigonella for Final Coronet East Mission

The final two U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft (reg. 78-0646, 79-0092 – c/s TABOR44/45) crossed the Mediterranean today, completing the latest Coronet East deployment with support from KC-135R Stratotanker (reg. 57-1432 – c/s CLEAN80), which departed from NAS Sigonella. Their arrival brings the total number of deployed A-10s to ten, completing the latest movement of Warthogs toward the Middle East.

Operating as TABOR44 and TABOR45, the two A-10s rendezvoused with CLEAN80 after departing RAF Lakenheath before continuing eastbound across the Mediterranean. The flight marked the final leg of a deployment that has unfolded over several waves in recent days.

Ten A-10s now deployed

With the arrival of TABOR44 and TABOR45, the U.S. Air Force has now completed the deployment of ten A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft under the latest Coronet East movement. RAF Lakenheath once again served as the staging point before the aircraft headed south through Europe and across the central Mediterranean.

As is standard during long-range fighter deployments, aerial refueling played a key role in enabling the transit. KC-135R Stratotanker, operating from NAS Sigonella, escorted the final cell during the Mediterranean crossing before the aircraft continued toward their destination.

Although the U.S. Air Force has not officially disclosed the final operating location or mission of the detachment, Coronet East deployments are routinely used to move tactical aircraft into the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Sigonella’s continuing operational role

One aspect of today’s mission is particularly noteworthy. The supporting KC-135 departed from NAS Sigonella, confirming once again the Sicilian base’s continuing role as a key logistics and aerial refueling hub for U.S. Air Force operations across the Mediterranean.

The flight also comes as President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Italy did not authorize the use of its bases for recent U.S. operations in the region. While today’s mission does not by itself demonstrate that the A-10 deployment originated from Italy, it does show that Sigonella continues to support U.S. aerial refueling activities linked to force movements toward the Middle East.

Whether this marks the end of the current reinforcement cycle or the prelude to additional tactical deployments remains unclear. However, the completion of this ten-aircraft A-10 movement confirms that the United States continues to retain the ability to rapidly reinforce the region using established air mobility routes and strategic hubs such as NAS Sigonella.