A-10 Thunderbolt II - Valparaiso, FL
N 30° 28.050 W 086° 33.710
16R E 542061 N 3370671
This A-10A was last assigned to the 355th Tactical Training Wing at Davis Monthan AFB, AZ.
Waymark Code: WMGVNC
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2013
Views: 8
The A-10A was developed to replace the A-7D. A flyoff, ordered by congress demonstrated the superiority of the A-10A. The first production A-10A (S/N 75-258) made its first flight on Oct. 21, 1975. Tactical Air Command accepted the first A-10A on March 30, 1976. The first production A-10s were delivered to the 333rd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, 364th Tactical Training Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. The first operational A-10A unit was the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing based at Myrtle Beach, S.C. The 354th TFW achieved initial combat readiness during the summer of 1978.
The first overseas unit to equip with the A-10A was the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing based at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge, U.K. The 81st TFW was an unusually large unit composed of six squadrons -- 108 total aircraft at full strength. The A-10s of the 81st TFW were in Europe primarily to support NATO operations against potential enemy armor invasions of central and southern Europe. Many A-10s of the 81 TFW were deployed to forward operating areas (i.e. Sembach Air Base, Germany) throughout Europe to provide a quick reaction anti-armor weapon close to potential battle fronts.
The first use of the A-10A in combat came in January 1991 with the start of Operation Desert Storm.
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): A-10 Thunderbolt II
Tail Number: (S/N): 75288
Construction:: original aircraft
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): USAF Armament Museum
inside / outside: outside
Access restrictions:
The plane is one of 25 located outside the USAF Armament Museum just off Eglin AFB. There is no fence around the museum so the outdoor planes are accessible every day.
Other Information:: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)
Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.