@ Colorado Springs, CO
September 2017
An A-10 Warthog taxies after a flight demonstration during the 2017 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow. The A-10 entered service in 1976, and is the only USAF production-built aircraft designed solely for close air support. Maintainability is a key design feature with many of the A-10’s parts being interchangeable left and right, including the engines, main landing gear and vertical stabilizers. All 700+ aircraft were delivered as A-10As, in 2005 a program was started to upgrade the aircraft to the A-10C configuration, with modern avionics for use with precision weaponry. Barring political cancellation of this superlative aircraft, a program is underway to extend the lifespan of the aircraft beyond 2040. The current USAF active A-10 inventory is 281.