Fairchild-Republic Thunderbolt 2 —

Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II

355th Wing, Air Combat Command, Twelfth Air Force, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, AZ.

30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon fires depleted uranium armor-piercing shells, 3,900 rounds per minute, 50 rounds are fired during the first second, 65 or 70 rounds per second thereafter. The gun is accurate enough to place 80 percent of its shots within a 40-foot (12.4 m) diameter circle from 4,000 feet (1,220 m) while in flight. The gun's 5-foot, 11.5-inch (1.816 m) ammunition drum can hold up to 1,350 rounds of 30 mm ammunition.

The A-10 is equipped to carry the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile, GPS and laser-guided bombs, such as the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, Paveway series bombs, JDAM and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser, WCMD, glide bomb AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon and the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP). A-10s usually fly with an ALQ-131 ECM pod under one wing and two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under the other wing for self-defense.

USAF Air Demonstration
Reno National Championship Air Races. 9-16-2007