The operation of the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft explained in great detail

The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is one of the most formidable attack aircraft ever built in the United States.

This was the farewell air show of the A-10 Demo Team after four decades
The terrible power of an A-10 attack plane: this is what its targets look like in Steelgate

Popularly known as the "Warthog", it made its first flight on May 10, 1972 and entered service four years later. The A-10 has the particularity of being an aircraft developed around a rotary cannon: the powerful GAU-8 Avenger, made up of seven 30 mm caliber tubes. This cannon is mounted on the front of the fuselage, making the A-10 an excellent tank destroyer.

715 A-10s were built between 1972 and 1984. They have generally served in close air support missions. Their sole operator has always been the United States Air Force (USAF), which still operates them. According to their Almanac 2024, there are 261 A-10s still in operation: 141 in the USAF, 66 in the Air National Guard (ANG), and 54 in the Air Force Reserve (AFRC). Currently, the forecast is that the final retirement of the entire A-10 fleet will come in 2028 or 2029, being replaced by the F-35.

This Tuesday, AiTelly published an excellent video explaining in detail the operation of the A-10, including its armament, the characteristics of its construction and the different elements of its cockpit:

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Photos: U.S. Air Force