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1/4/2010 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- More than 10,000 flight hours and 2,500 sorties marked the closing stages of a landmark six-month tour for the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here New Year's Day. The A-10C Thunderbolt II squadron was the first U.S. Air Force fighter unit based in southern Afghanistan, a move that saved the lives of countless ground forces thanks to the faster reaction time provided by the U.S. Air Force. "Because a lot of the focus is Regional Command-South - towns in Helmand - it gives you an airplane that is designed for Close Air Support, it does...

Airmen of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., last month made history by becoming the first unit to deploy a full complement of A-10Cs, the newest version of the venerable A-10 ground-attack aircraft, to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. These airmen are expected to operate out of there until the beginning of next year. Before leaving for the combat theater, members of the wing’s 355th Maintenance Group completed two aircraft projects: a precision engagement software upgrade, known as Suite 5, and adding the Sniper targeting pod to the platform. This deployment represents the fifth time that wing aircraft and personnel...

September 1, 2007: The new A-10C is headed for Iraq and Afghanistan, as the first of the new models became available last month. That's because the U.S. A-10 "Warhog" ground attack aircraft is so popular with ground troops that even the air force brass took note of it. So they speeded up the plan to upgrade the electronics of the aircraft. The A-10 can fly low and slow, and is designed, and armored, to survive lots of ground fire. The troops trust the A-10 more than the F-16, or any other aircraft used for supporting the ground troops. The new...

11/30/2006 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- The A-10C Thunderbolt II made its official roll-out debut here Nov. 29, revealing its transformation and its enhanced capabilities under the Precision Engagement program. The Precision Engagement program will offer the A-10 the most significant modifications it has ever received in its 30-year history, making it a more capable and survivable attack fighter, according to Maj. Dan Walls, 355th Training Squadron director of conversion training unit operations. "Precision Engagement increases the lethality, survivability and standoff of one of the most respected and recognized attack aircraft in the world and ushers in...

The newly designated C-model A-10 Thunderbolt II, modified with precision engagement technology, was flown for the first time at Eglin AFB, Fla., last week, thanks in large part to the work of a small group of people at Hill AFB. The A-10 Program Office here has been managing the precision engagement program for the past four years. The office’s precision engagement program management team, made up of about 25 people, acts as a liaison between Air Combat Command and the project’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin Systems Integration. Calling the A-10C the “best friend to the boots on the ground,” Lt....