--- title: "An A-10 named ‘Rainbow Warrior’ sports Marilyn Monroe door art in the Middle East" description: "An A-10 with a colorful name was recently photographed in the CENTCOM area of operations, showing off its rarely seen door art." date: "2026-11-07" modified: "2026-11-07" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/a10-warthog-rainbow-warrior-marilyn-monroe/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Aircraft" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" --- # An A-10 named ‘Rainbow Warrior’ sports Marilyn Monroe door art in the Middle East ![A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft sits on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Oct. 8, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Iain Stanley) ]() *An Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Oct. 8, 2026.  Air Force photo by Senior Airman Iain Stanley.* Somewhere in the skies over the Middle East, the “Rainbow Warrior” is flying. That’s according to U.S. Central Command, which recently shared a photo of an A-10C Thunderbolt II, also called a “Warthog,” going by that call sign. [Photos of the colorfully named Warthog]() were posted to the Defense Visual Information Distribution System, the military's main image hosting platform. The photos, taken Oct. 8, show the A-10 being guided on the tarmac at an undisclosed location inside the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Painted on the side of the plane is a slightly faded but still brightly colored “Rainbow Warrior” identification. And one photo shows not only its identifying name but the interior door art of the late movie star Marilyn Monroe. Door art, on the inside of the hatch for the plane’s ladder, is a part of the A-10 pilots and sustainers’ culture, serving as more than just a bit of creativity. The art, as [one A-10 pilot told Task & Purpose](), is "not for public consumption." "You can see that ‘this is the Tasmanian Devil jet,’ so you remember the last time you flew it, and the quirks and the ins and outs,” the pilot said. “The A-10, I think, is kinda unique with that, where units are allowing guys to do that, but it’s a little more covert." The A-10’s fanged nose art is a distinctive element in its own right, but units have painted creative and colorful identifying art onto the sides of the close air support planes. Late last year, during a series of airstrikes against Islamic State fighters dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike, several A-10s were photographed for DVIDS showing [video game-inspired art](), including “Metroid” and “Diddy Kong.” It’s not clear why Marilyn Monroe’s face was chosen for the door art for “Rainbow Warrior,” but Monroe — who worked in an aircraft factory during World War II and [helped assemble OQ-2 radioplanes](), a type of early drone — has been seen in art on more than one aircraft. This summer a [California Air National Guard C-130J with nose art]() of the "Some Like It Hot" star was spotted flying into the United Kingdom. The Warthog, with its powerful GAU-8 30mm cannon that was meant to kill Soviet tanks, has been an important part of U.S. operations against Iran, including in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The Air Force had intended to fully retire the A-10s, and has taken steps to divest from it, but this year the Secretary of the Air Force said that it will [remain in operational service through 2030](). Some of the remaining A-10s have been regularly operating in the Middle East over the last year, supporting both missions against Islamic State militants and the ongoing war with Iran. This year, they’ve supported combat search and rescue operations, including the April mission to rescue the crew of a downed F-15E inside Iran. One A-10 was damaged in the course of that operation, with the pilot ejecting over friendly waters and the Warthog crashing. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]() ## More - [An A-10 Warthog named ‘Diddy Kong’ is operating in the Middle East]() - [An A-10 taking part in Syria airstrikes sports ‘Metroid’ nose art]() - [More A-10 Warthogs deploy to the Middle East]() - [32 turbofan engines, 16 Avenger cannons, 10 tons of armor: This is an A-10 elephant walk]() - [A-10 and LCS, both headed for retirement, spotted together in the Middle East]() - [Two Air Force A-10s rescued lost boater on Florida lake]() - [The Story Behind The A-10’s Iconic War Paint]() - [The Air Force tried to kill the A-10 by clipping its wings and starving it of parts]()