The 'Tank Killer' U.S. Forces Korea A-10 Attack Airplane will be retired from service from next year.

The U.S. Air Force said on the 12th local time that it will retire A-10 (A10) attacks to upgrade fourth-generation fighter jets and strengthen integration of fourth-generation aircraft in key areas, including South Korea.

As a result, 24 A-10 attack aircraft currently deployed at Osan are expected to be retired sequentially from January next year and upgraded F-16 fighter jets.

Introduced in the 1970s, the A-10 attack aircraft flies at low altitudes and focuses on enemy tanks and mechanized units, but has been considered limited in its role in that it is a dedicated aircraft that supports ground fire.

The U.S. military emphasized that the retirement of the A-10 attack plane was based on a long-planned strategy and that there was no abnormality in the South Korea-U.S. joint defense posture, as if aware of concerns over "reduction of U.S. forces in South Korea" caused by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.