Related
Members of the 1ST Battalion, 75th Rangers, move through the woods during an exercise taking place in conjunction with an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft practice bombing
Members of the 1ST Battalion, 75th Rangers, move through the woods during an exercise taking place in conjunction with an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft practice bombing
Members of the 1ST Battalion, 75th Rangers, move through the woods during an exercise taking place in conjunction with an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft practice bombing
A pair of A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from the78th Tactical Fighter Squadron take off during exercise Reforger '86
An A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft is prepared to be launched on a practice bombing run by its crew during Operation Gunsmoke '81
Troops from the Airborne Rangers, 2nd Battalion, 75th Infantry, move out into the field as Exercise Ocean Venture '81 gets underway
An A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft is prepared to be launched on a practice bombing run by its crew during Operation Gunsmoke '81
A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from Detachment 1, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, taxi on the flight line during Exercise Reforger '88
An Airborne Ranger from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Infantry, armed with an M-161A rifle, participates Exercise Ocean Venture '81
Members of the 1ST Battalion, 75th Rangers, move through the woods during an exercise taking place in conjunction with an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft practice bombing
Summary
The original finding aid described this photograph as:
Base: Fort Mccoy
State: Wisconsin (WI)
Country: United States Of America (USA)
Scene Camera Operator: Allan J. Harding
Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files
The A-10 Thunderbolt has excellent maneuverability at low airspeeds and altitude and is a highly accurate and survivable weapons-delivery platform. Called the “Warthog” for its aggressive look and often painted with teeth on the nose cone, the A-10 Thunderbolt II is the U.S. Air Force’s primary low-altitude close air support aircraft best known for its GAU-8 Avenger 30mm Gatling gun designed to fire armor-piercing depleted uranium and high explosive incendiary rounds. In the 1970s the threat of Soviet armored forces and all-weather attack operations had become more serious. Six companies submitted aircraft proposals, with Northrop and Fairchild-Republic selected to build prototypes: the YA-9A and YA-10A, respectively. General Electric and Philco-Ford were selected to build and test GAU-8 cannon prototypes. First A-10 was delivered to the U.S. Air Force on 30 March 1976. By 1984, 715 airplanes had been built.