Canopy of Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II.
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a fighter aircraft in service with the United States 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 somewhat further away from its own troops.
A secondary task the aircraft can perform is acting as a flying forward air controller; here the pilot talks other aircraft to the targets to be attacked on the ground.
The official name for the A-10 is Thunderbolt II. It is named after the World War II P-47 Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt II was soon nicknamed "Warthog" or warthog. This was because of its unsightly appearance, relatively low speed and flying altitude, rigidity and numerous armaments.
Production ceased in 1984 after a total of 715 aircraft were built.
This photo was taken on Nov. 13, 2016 at Nellis Air Force Base after the airshow ended just before sunset.
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…