"Obsolete weapons do not deter."
- British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
The A-10 and OA-10 Thunderbolt IIs are the first Air Force aircraft designed specifically for close air support of ground forces. They are simple, effective, and highly survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against all ground targets, especially tanks and other armored vehicles. The first production A-10A was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ., in October 1975.
The aircraft can carry a wide variety of ordnance under its wings and nose, loiter on-station for long periods of time, and fly over a wide combat radius, making it an ideal warrior on today's battlefield. In the Gulf War, A-10s, with a mission capable rate of 95.7 percent, flew 8,100 sorties and launched 90 percent of the AGM-65 Maverick missiles used in-country. This particular A-10A Warthog was attached to the 45th TFS of the Indiana Air National Guard, then deployed to Grissom AFB, May 1994, and flown to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of D-Day. Special Order!
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 8.75 inches
Length: 9.75 inches
Release Date: July 2007
Historical Account: "Part-Time Airmen" - The Air National Guard (ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Air Force (USAF). Like the Army National Guard, the ANG is administered by the National Guard Bureau and an ANG unit may be activated by either the President of the United States or the governor of the state in which it resides. The national guard is located in every state of the union.
Although the ANG was not established as a separate component of the USAF until 1947, throughout the twentieth century National Guard aviators have played significant roles in all wars involving the United States and in most of its major contingencies. ANG units served on active duty during the Korean War, and ANG F-100 squadrons from Colorado, New York, Iowa, and New Mexico served at Phan Rang AB, Vietnam, for eleven months of 1968-69, flying over 24,000 combat sorties. In recent operations, entire units and individuals have also been activated.
The ANG is often described as a "reserve" force of "part-time airmen," although the demands of maintaining modern aircraft mean many ANG members work full-time. Many ANG aviators work for commercial airlines, but in the ANG they may train to fly any of the aircraft in the USAF inventory, with the exception of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the B-1B Lancer bomber, the MH-53 Pave Low helicopter, the AC-130 Gunship, and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter.
Since the 1991 Gulf War, ANG pilots have patrolled Iraq's no-fly zones. During the 9/11 terrorist attacks the first unit to provide air cover was the Happy Hooligans, a North Dakota ANG F-16 unit diverted from flight training over Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Another ANG F-16 unit from Vermont later patrolled the skies over New York City. (courtesy: Wikopedia) |
