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An air-to-air right side view of an F-15 Eagle aircraft, an A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft and an F-16 aircraft in formation. The F-16 is carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on its wing tips. The aircraft are from the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing

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An air-to-air right side view of an F-15 Eagle aircraft, an A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft and an F-16 aircraft in formation. The F-16 is carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on its wing tips. The aircraft are from the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing

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Summary

The original finding aid described this photograph as:

State: Nevada (NV)

Country: United States Of America (USA)

Scene Camera Operator: Fred Jones

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.

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Date

05/11/1986
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Source

The U.S. National Archives
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