The U.S. Navy Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara has carried out a live-fire maritime gunnery exercise in the Persian Gulf, supported by U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said sailors from the ship participated in “Exercise Killer Tomato”, a USAFCENT-led event described as a live-fire drill designed to strengthen surface gunnery skills and improve coordination between air and maritime forces operating across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
A U.S. Navy image released on 2 February showed an A-10 providing close air support to the ship during the exercise. The U.S. 5th Fleet said the training “provided realistic training to improve surface gunnery proficiency while reinforcing joint air-maritime integration, combat readiness, and deterrence across the region.”
USS Santa Barbara is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, where American naval forces conduct maritime security missions across the Gulf and wider Middle East. The ship has been involved in a number of capability demonstrations during its deployment, including the test launch of a low-cost uncrewed combat attack system drone at sea for the first time in the Persian Gulf on 16 December 2025.
The vessel is one of the U.S. Navy’s high-speed, modular Independence-class littoral combat ships, designed for operations in contested coastal waters. USS Santa Barbara is capable of speeds exceeding 40 knots and has a range of around 4,300 nautical miles at cruising speed, allowing it to conduct extended patrols and rapid response missions across the region. It displaces more than 3,100 tonnes at full load and is powered by a combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion system driving four waterjets. It carries a core crew of around 40 personnel, with capacity for additional mission specialists depending on the role assigned.
In terms of sensors, the ship is equipped with the Sea Giraffe 3D air and surface surveillance radar alongside navigation radar and electro-optical and infrared targeting systems. Its defensive suite includes electronic support measures and chaff launchers. Its armament includes a BAE Systems Mk 110 57mm gun, multiple .50 calibre machine guns, and an 11-cell SeaRAM missile launcher for close-in air defence.
I can’t believe the USA is still flying A10’s and running little crappy combat ships in a potential hot war zone.
These platforms are as much use as a River class backed up by spitfires.
Cockiness knows no bounds.
Layers ?
Liabilities
Iranians.
The A-10 is cheap, tough, and still extremely effective for CAS. In permissive or semi-permissive environments, it handles a lot of targets more than adequately and in my opinion, actually does a better job than some more expensive platforms. It’s also far cheaper to fly than burning F-35 hours on missions that don’t need stealth or sensors.
Also, Santa Barbara isn’t pretending to be a destroyer. It is part of a wider task group with Aegis escorts, ISR, and air cover. No one is sending it alone into a high-end fight…
You can attempt to ridicule the US all you want, but the reality is they have more aircraft carriers operational than we have frigates.