Gallery: America's Toughest, Ugliest Warplane Is Going Back Into Battle

  • Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Aircraft Airplane Warplane and Bomber
    Senior Airman Greg L. Davis
    01

    Kosovo

    The A-10 Thunderbolt II, better known as the Warthog, is old and ugly, but effective.
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    U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina D. Ponte
    02

    Hawgsmoke 2006

    Some in the military and in Congress have been looking to dismantle the one-trick Warthog in favor of more multipurpose platforms like the new F-35, but given the crucial role of close air support in protecting soldiers on the ground, the A-10 has many supporters.
  • Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Aircraft Airplane Warplane and Bomber
    U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina D. Ponte
    03

    Hawgsmoke 2006

    The A-10 carries a seven-barrel GAU-8 Avenger Gatling cannon, a 9-foot long gun that fires armor piercing 30mm shells at 3,900 rounds per minute and accounts for some 16 percent of the aircraft’s unladen weight.
  • Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Airplane Aircraft Bomber Warplane and Jet
    U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina D. Ponte
    04

    Hawgsmoke 2006

    The A-10's cockpit is surrounded by a giant tub of titanium, specifically designed to withstand fire from 23mm anti-aircraft shells at close range, a frankly ridiculous task.
  • Image may contain Human Person Vehicle Transportation Aircraft Airplane Machine and Warplane
    U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Adam Johnston
    05

    Warthog 101

    The engines are designed to be easily and quickly replaced, and the plane itself is meant to work in austere environments with minimal maintenance and upkeep.
  • Image may contain Bomber Vehicle Transportation Warplane Airplane and Aircraft
    U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Rob Wieland
    06

    Tanker task force keeps Red Flag flying

    For now, even as the White House, Pentagon, and Congress fight over the future of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Warthogs deployed to fight ISIS as part of the 163rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron will keep flying.
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