The A-10 Warthog has a new maritime role in targeting boats in the war in Iran that could extend the life of the aircraft, which the U.S. Air Force had been attempting to retire for years.

Despite the Air Force trying to phase out the A-10, Congress has resisted its efforts and blocked attempts to reduce the number of these aircraft.

A-10s have been used in the U.S. military campaign against Iran, as the Pentagon sees a need for an aircraft that can loiter and deliver accurate fire against small boats and coastal threats.

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During a Pentagon briefing last month, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that A-10 aircraft were “in the fight” and operating across the southern flank of the conflict, including targeting Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We continue to hunt and kill mine storage facilities and naval ammunition depots. We continue to hunt and kill afloat assets, including more than 120 vessels and 44 mine layers, and the pressure will continue,” Caine said in the March 19 briefing.

“The A-10 Warthog is now in the fight across the southern flank and is hunting and killing fast attack watercraft in the Straits of Hormuz. In addition, AH-64 Apaches have joined the fight on the southern flank, and they continue to work on the southern side. And that includes some of our allies who are using Apaches to handle one-way attack drones,” he continued.

This comes as President Donald Trump has escalated threats against Iran, including its civilian infrastructure, over its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy shipments. However, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday, hours before Trump’s deadline to strike power plants and bridges unless Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz.

As of 2026, the Air Force has around 280 A-10 aircraft in service, and Congress required that the fleet not fall below 103 aircraft in Fiscal Year 2026 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

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While the A-10 is slower and less stealthy than newer aircraft, making it vulnerable in heavily contested airspace against modern integrated air defense systems, it has a long loiter time over target areas and the ability to visually identify and engage targets.

Originally designed as a Cold War-era tank killer, the A-10 is now being used in a markedly different role — targeting small, fast-moving boats and coastal threats amid the conflict with Iran. The use of the aircraft is intensifying debate over the Air Force’s decade-long effort to retire the jet, as it continues to be utilized in new missions.

California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., campaign broke their silence on allegations circulated by Cheyenne Hunt, a former Capitol Hill staffer and a political media personality, fiercely denying any sexual misconduct towards former staffers or interns.

“This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,” Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell, told the New York Post.

Hunt, who now runs a youth political engagement group called Gen-Z for Change, a left-leaning group, began highlighting accusations that Swalwell had a practice of making sexual advances with women on his staff last week.

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“The Democratic candidate currently leading in the California governor’s race has a known history of being predatory towards women,” Hunt claimed in a post to social media.

Hunt showed the image of a message sent to her through a private message.

“You know, Eric Swalwell has slept with many of his interns and makes them all sign [non-disclosure agreements] so they don’t speak up, right? And when I was 19, he tried hitting on me and sliding into my DMs,” the quote read.

Since posting her original video detailing Swalwell’s alleged advances, Hunt said she has been contacted by a number of other women sharing similar experiences.

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“I am personally working with a group of women who want to come forward and share their stories. I am also aware of a much larger group that is also in this process that I am not personally working with,” Hunt said.

Hunt has not provided names for the other women or indicated which other groups she is referring to. In addition to Hunt, multiple other Democratic operatives have posted about Swalwell, including Democratic strategist Bhavik Lathia, who told Democrats to take the allegations “seriously.”

“Hey, I just got off the phone with a trusted friend. This is real. Take it seriously. Eric Swallwell cannot be our nominee. There is going to be a lot more coming out soon. I can’t say more right now, but stay tuned,” Lathia said.

“Beasley challenged Hunt’s assertions, noting a lack of controversy surrounding Swalwell up to this point,” he continued.

“In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office has ever been asked to sign an NDA. Ever. In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged. Ever,” Beasley told the Post.

In a post to X, Hunt struck back at Swalwell’s framing of her allegations.

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“Smearing survivors with claims that they ‘teamed up with MAGA’ is morally repugnant,” Hunt said in a post to X.

“These women are brave and deserve to be heard. We are working with legal counsel and the investigative team of a highly reputable outlet to ensure that those stories are told the right way,” she added.

Mail-in voting for the primary begins on May 4, according to California’s Secretary of State. The gubernatorial primary is June 2.

Swalwell’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tune in to Fox and Friends Wednesday morning to see more of Griff Jenkins’ interview with Lynette Hooker’s daughter.

HOPE TOWN, Bahamas —The American woman who went missing in the Bahamas after her husband said she fell off a small boat had been living out her retirement dream of sailing when tragedy struck, according to a friend. Along the way, the couple had been building a social media following and forging connections across the country.

Lynette Hooker, 55 and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, left Hope Town’s Abaco Inn at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, four minutes after the sunset that night on a small boat headed to their yacht in Elbow Cay, according to Bahamian officials.

Brian Hooker reportedly told officials that while the couple were on the smaller boat, known as a dinghy, Lynette fell into the water with the ignition key, causing the engine to shut off. The current carried her away, according to Brian, who paddled back to a marina at Marsh Harbor. He reported Lynette missing at around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.

John Waters, who is friends with the couple, told Fox News Digital he met Lynette and at an oyster bar in Panama City Beach, Florida in 2023. He said the couple was on a journey around the Gulf of America.

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“Their new lifestyle was this boat that they picked up in Texas. They spent a year working on it,” Waters said.

He described the couple as both really nice and said they were going for their retirement dream of sailing. He said the couple “weren’t that experienced” in boating.

Three days into the search for Lynette, authorities have provided few answers.

Richard Cook, team leader with Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, told PEOPLE foul play isn’t suspected.

“It was just a lot of bad decisions,” Cook said. “Night time, very windy, no moon out yet so it was pitch dark and very rough conditions for the small boat they were in.”

Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker’s daughter, who isn’t related to Brian, told Fox News’ Griff Jenkins that Brian Hooker has a history of being violent towards her mother. She did several interviews with media outlets on Tuesday, including with Fox News’ Griff Jenkins.

“I do believe something might have happened to her,” she said. “There’s history of them choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Brian Hooker several times but has not received a response. He has not been charged with a crime.

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Aylesworth told Fox News Digital that Brian Hooker’s behavior would shift when drinking alcohol.

“He starts to act more smart-a—y and more picking at you and like ‘I know this will irritate you so I’m gonna do that'” type of attitude.

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Aylesworth described her mother as a “very fit person” who wouldn’t lose her balance on a boat.

“I’m confused why she has the keys because she never drove the dinghy. It was always Brian. So the story just doesn’t add up right now,” Aylesworth said.

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Geoff Fahringer, former dive team member for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, told Fox News Digital that he doesn’t suspect foul play.

“Sadly, what I’ve seen in my experience is that this is unfortunately a somewhat common occurrence that seeing the circumstances of this entire accident, it’s something I’ve seen before,” Fahringer said.

Authorities haven’t said if Lynette Hooker was wearing a life jacket at the time she fell off the small boat.

The couple is very active on social media, largely showcasing their yacht. Their most recent Instagram post on Friday afternoon showed Lynette on a boat with the caption, “Not going anywhere for a while?!”

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The Royal Bahamas Police Force is investigating the woman’s disappearance along with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and Hope Town Fire & Rescue.

The U.S. State Department currently says the Bahamas issued a level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, is under a level 2 travel advisory and urges Americans to “exercise increased caution” due to crime, beach safety, as well as jet skis and boating dangers.

A spokesperson for the State Department told Fox News Digital the agency is aware of reports regarding the missing American and is working with Bahamian authorities.

Boating in the Bahamas isn’t well regulated, and the State Department has said that “injuries and deaths have occurred.”