A-10 Thunderbolt II Units of Operation Enduring Freedom 2002-07

Book excerpt: The first of two illustrated histories of the A-10, which first saw combat in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and is now at the leading edge of CAS. The A-10 was never a favourite amongst the USAF's senior staff, and prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 they had attempted to transfer the aircraft to the US Army and Marine Corps. Reprieved from premature retirement, the A-10 would see combat in the Balkans during the mid-1990s and over Iraq in Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch until Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. Following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, the Bush administration responded with the instigation of Operation Enduring Freedom. A-10 aircraft first entered the fray during Operation Anaconda in March 2002. During Anaconda four A-10s flying from Pakistan provided 21 straight hours of FAC (A)/CAS coverage. Here, the untold story of the A-10 in Enduring Freedom is explored and presented as never before through first hand interviews and photography from those involved, along with official military archives.