This past week American and Jordanian forces carried out the second wave of a new campaign of major airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria. Operation Hawkeye Strike so far has involved a range of aircraft ranging from fighter jets to close-air support planes.
And one of the aircraft that took part in the ongoing operation is “Samus.” Yes, as in Samus from the “Metroid” game series. Except this Samus isn’t a space-based bounty hunter in a power suit, it’s an A-10 Thunderbolt II — better known as a Warthog — that goes “brrrrrt.”
So far U.S. Central Command has been sparse on the full extent of Operation Hawkeye Strike, including just how many A-10s participated in it. It shared details on many of the aircraft involved and some of the numbers of targets fired on, but nearly a month into the operation, it remains unclear how many casualties have come from it, where specifically the airstrikes have occurred and how long the operation will continue. Some of the most telling details have come from the images and video released from the two big waves of attacks. And one of those showed off one Warthog, with the callsign “Samus,” as an Air Force chaplain prayed over it before its mission on Dec. 19.
Air Force planes often sport nose art to go with their callsigns. Some Warthogs, all named after figures from Greek mythology, were apparently used to take out enemy drones last year. “Samus” is more modern, taking its name from the main character of the Nintendo video game franchise that started in the 1980s (and who became a staple of the “Super Smash Bros.” fighting game series).
The photo, posted to the military’s public imagery site, the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Like most of the images from both the Dec. 19, 2025 and Jan. 10, 2026 waves of airstrikes, it’s a shot of an aircraft on base before the mission gets underway. However rather than other photos or videos of jets taking off or being loaded up with munitions, it’s a glimpse at one aging but important aircraft in a quiet moment.
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The A-10 Warthog has long been set to go off to pasture. The airframe is aging and the military has aimed to replace the close-air support plane with newer fighter jets that can fill the role. Despite that, the planes, with their distinctive shark mouth nose art, have been repeatedly deployed to CENTCOM’s area of responsibility over the last two years. The Warthogs have provided aerial support to ground troops in Iraq and Syria, and taken out aerial threats as well, such as drones. At least one A-10 was sporting kill markings of Shahed-type uncrewed aerial systems when they returned to the United States in the fall.
That’s extended into the last month of operations. Operation Hawkeye Strike, a seemingly ongoing mission inside Operation Inherent Resolve, began on Dec. 19, in retaliation for the killing of two Iowa National Guard soldiers and their civilian interpreter in Palmyra six days prior. A-10s were spotted flying over the city in the following hours, providing aerial cover to American and partner forces as they searched the area for ISIS militants. So far the missions have been centered around two major days of airstrikes, with some ongoing raids tied to them. The air missions have featured a range of aircraft, but the A-10 has been used in both, even as strike fighter jets loaded up with heavy munitions also played a role.
