A portion of the Air Force’s A-10 Thunderbolt II squadrons may end up grounded over the next few years due to desperately-needed wing replacements, with some of the aircraft stuck on the tarmac as early as fiscal year 2018, the head of Air Force Material Command announced on Sept. 20.
Since the A-10 Warthog, recently seemingly destined for the scrap yard, is now engaging enemy Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Taliban forces in Afghanistan in the form of a new weapon with a badass name — the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System.
Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christine Griffiths
Airmen don’t get a ton of credit for their exploits in Iraq and Afghanistan, but more than 20 airmen have received the Silver Star Medal, the nation’s third-highest award for gallantry in combat, for their actions in the Global War on Terror.
