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Aircraft · Air

A-10 Thunderbolt II

Close-air-support aircraft family, including the A-10C described by the Air Force.

by Fairchild Republic · First fielded 1976

FieldedAircraftAirFieldedMar 1976
af.mil/about-us/fact-sheets/display/article/104490/a-10c-thunderbolt-ii
U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft flying in formation over Wake Island

Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Audree Campbell · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Air Force) · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop. Commons source includes minor noise correction and a thin bottom crop.

Milestones19721976
  1. MilestoneEarliest documented public appearance: Edwards open-house display, reported
  2. First deliveryFirst production A-10A delivered, confirmed
  3. FieldedA-10 deployment, confirmed

Timeline3

  1. MilestoneReported

    Earliest documented public appearance: Edwards open-house display

    Earliest supported public appearance found in the sources reviewed for this research; not a claim of the first-ever announcement or original unveiling. Earlier evidence may revise this date. A firsthand attendee’s photographic account dates the YA-10A prototype display. The exact day follows that account; it is not independently corroborated here.

    SourcesBrian Lockett / Air-and-Space

  2. First deliveryConfirmed

    First production A-10A delivered

    SourcesA-10C Thunderbolt II > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

  3. FieldedConfirmed

    A-10 deployment

    SourcesA-10C Thunderbolt II > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Built with1

Operators1

  • USUnited States
First fielded
1976

Sources3

  1. 1.
    OtherA-10 Warthog | The Aircraft Built Around Its Gun

    Sam Eckholm · Apr 20, 2024 · Supports: System · name

    “A-10”
  2. 2.
    Government recordA-10C Thunderbolt II > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

    Supports: System, System · first fielded year, System · operator countries, System · system component:tf34-ge-100, System milestone

    “The A-10C Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces.”
  3. 3.
    OtherEdwards Air Force Base Open House May 17, 1972

    Brian Lockett / Air-and-Space · Supports: System milestone

    “I attended the Edwards Air Force Base Open House with my father, Richard Lockett, on May 17, 1972”

Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.