A Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II takes off from Nellis Air Force Base during the 2017 Aviation Nation Airshow.
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a Fairchild fighter aircraft in use with the US Air Force. It is the only USAF aircraft developed primarily for the purpose of providing air support on the battlefield (close air support). It is specially equipped to destroy armored vehicles and other ground targets. The aircraft can also be used against ground targets which are further away from the troops (air interdiction).
A secondary task of the aircraft is to act as a flying forward air controller; the pilot talks other aircraft to the targets on the ground.
The official name for the A-10 is Thunderbolt II. It was named after its World War II predecessor, the P-47 Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt II was soon nicknamed "Warthog" or knobbly boar. This was because of its appearance, relatively low speed and flying altitude, rigidity, and numerous armaments.
I took this photo on November 11, 2017.
I am Jaap van den Berg and photography has become a great passion of mine since 2010. Since then I travel all over the world to take pictures of military aircrafts. But besides aircraft I also love to photograph other subjects like landscapes, architecture, flowers, animals, .. Read more…