U.S. Air Force AIRMAN 1ST Class Kyle Smith, 354th Maintenance Squadron, 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, removes a Low Pressure Turbine rotor on an A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support aircraft engine, while in Mission Oriented Protective Posture level 2, during an Operational Readiness Exercise Phase 2 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on Sept. 14, 2004.(U.S. Air Force PHOTO by SENIOR AIRMAN Joshua Strang) (RELEASED)

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.