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Airframe: A-10 Thunderbolt II

  • Defense.gov
  • March 20, 2020 | 2:14

The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan aircraft designed specifically for close air support and ground-attack missions against armored vehicles.The aircraft’s subsonic speed and large, straight-wing design provide extreme maneuverability at low altitudes and extended time on target above the battlefield. The airframe was designed as a short-takeoff-and-landing platform for the 30 mm GAU-8 cannon, capable of firing 3,900 depleted-uranium shells per minute. With its ability to carry the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile and laser-guided bombs, the A-10 can destroy enemy armor at close range or from a standoff position.


Video by Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Negrete and Andrew Arthur Breese, Airman Magazin