And an aircraft that would've been a familiar sight in the Red Dawn TL and over Twilight War battlefields prior to the nuclear exchanges-and still a common sight in the Gulf Theater....
The A-10 Warthog in World War III
The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, more popularly known by the men and women who fly or maintain it, along with the general public, as the Warthog, had a distinguished career in the Third World War, as well as in the Cuba Intervention and the Baja War. Indeed, the aircraft's war service was enough to promote export sales, as South Korea, Israel, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey became operators of the A-10 postwar, along with Canada. The following are the variants of the A-10 that saw service, initially with the USAF, and later on, with overseas customers.
A-10A: Initial production version for the USAF. Deployed to England, South Korea, and Alaska prewar as well as to wings in the Continental United States. Production continued during the war at the Fairchild-Republic plant in Hagerstown, MD, with production for FMS customers postwar.
A-10B: Prototype Night/All Weather two-seat variant. Initially rejected by the USAF prewar, the aircraft was put into production as a Forward Air Control platform in 1986. The aircraft was fitted for, but not with, the avionics for the Night and All Weather mission, until the LANTIRN pod system became available in 1989. Two squadrons so fitted flew against the Brownsville Pocket and also against Cuba, attacking Cuban transportation targets as prelude to the planned invasion.
A-10C: Upgraded A-10A with LANTIRN and digital avionics. JDAM capability added in 2005-7. Aircraft saw combat in both Cuba and Mexico. FMS upgrades continuing.
A-10D: Upgraded B with full LANTIRN and digital avionics as per the A-10C.
Users:
USAF
RCAF
Postwar users:
Israel
Republic of China
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Seven A-10 pilots (four posthumously) won the Medal of Honor during the war. An additional seventeen others won the Air Force Cross (six posthumously) for wartime heroism.
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Treat everyone you meet with kindness and respect, but always have a plan to kill them.
Old USMC Adage
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