The terrible power of an A-10 attack plane: this is what its targets look like in Steelgate

@DefAviation ES 9·11·2023 · 21:22 0

The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an excellent attack aircraft that has been active in the US Air Force (USAF) for 46 years.

This is how the GAU-8 Avenger works: the powerful and huge rotary cannon of the A-10
The images of the return to Spain of the famous USAF A-10 attack aircraft

The A-10 is mainly responsible for attack missions, close air support and destruction of armored vehicles, tasks in which it has proven to be the best aircraft in its class. The iron fist of this plane is its enormous 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon, which has a rate of fire of 3,900 rounds per minute.

In mid-August the power of these aircraft could be seen in the Northern Strike 2023 exercise, carried out at the Steelgate firing range in Grayling, Michigan, by the USAF and the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard. Above these lines we can see one of the A-10C that participated in this exercise, and below we will see how its objectives turned out. Click on the images to see the details better.

Two old M939 military trucks, manufactured in the 1980s. They are completely destroyed. The bed of the truck on the right is full of bullet holes.

Another M939 truck completely destroyed. There are bullet holes even in the rear wheel rims.

An M939 truck (right) and an M998 Humvee tactical vehicle , with a pontoon between them.

The same Humvee in the previous photo. Although it has some 30 mm caliber impacts, what can be seen on its body are mainly impacts from light weapons. It was probably used as an infantry target. The bridge has many holes caused by aviation projectiles.

The impacts of the GAU-8 shots from an A-10C against a truck. Although the image is not of high resolution, the body of the vehicle shows numerous bullet impacts.

Another M939 truck with innumerable impacts from aviation projectiles. They are even seen on the bars of the box.

A garbage truck used as a target. The rear box is riddled with holes from aircraft shells.

An old Soviet 9K33 Osa surface-to-air missile launcher, in this case intact. Next to it is a GTR-18A "Smokey Says", which is used to simulate the launch of enemy surface-to-air missiles during A-10C exercises.

The impacts of the projectiles of a GAU-8 on the wall of one of the containers used as targets in this firing range.

A Michigan National Guard photographer taking images of an inert bomb dropped by an A-10C at a container during an exercise.

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Main photo: U.S. Air Force. An A-10C Thunderbolt II at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, Aug. 17, 2023.