News Aviation-By Colton Jones- May 10, 2022
Photo by Ministry of Defense of North Macedonia
The U.S. Air Force has announced that ten Maryland Air National Guard A-10C Thunderbolt II, better known as Warthogs, attack aircraft assigned to the 104th Fighter Squadron arrived in Iceland, May 5, 2022.
According to a press release from U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, four Warthogs transited to Norway, on May 6, while the other six flew into North Macedonia on May 7 to support exercise operations.
In addition to flying from Norway and North Macedonia, the A-10 aircraft are scheduled to deploy to forward operating locations in North Macedonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland to execute their Agile Combat Employment capabilities.
The A-10 is the U.S. Air Forces primary low-altitude close air support aircraft and is the first Air Force aircraft designed specifically for close air support to ground forces. These capabilities provide essential support to the joint force land component and afford the U.S. military flexibility in projecting power in highly contested regions.
Approximately 9,000 service members from 17 Allied and partner nations will participate in the exercise, including approximately 2,700 U.S. Soldiers and Airmen.