The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" is the only aircraft in United States Air Force (USAF) history designed specifically for the close air support mission. It was designed to survive in an intense anti-aircraft environment including anti-aircraft guns, radar-guided and infrared missiles and absorb battle damage and keep flying. In fact, the A-10 is probably the most difficult plane ever built to shoot down due to its extreme maneuverability, self-sealing fuel tanks, wide separated jet engines on top of the fuselage, twin vertical tails, multiple independent hydraulic systems, manual backup flight control system and redundant wing spars.
Complete Inventory of Gulf War A-10's
A total of 165 of these most recognizable and feared aircraft from 5 different units participated in Operation Desert Storm. All units were formalized under the 354th Provisional Wing with 144 aircraft at a time. The remaining aircraft above those 144 were replacements standing by at an off-site location to replace aircraft damaged beyond continued combat status or aircraft destroyed. The A-10 'Warthog' was the most heavily damaged aircraft of the campaign due to it's low and slow flying mission.
Database inventory of A-10's serving in the Gulf War
The A-10 would circle areas making them extremely vulnerable to ground fire and surface to air missiles. Due to the severe damage, a couple of aircraft listed below didn't come home with us. We stripped them of parts and buried them in the Saudi desert. The rest were repaired, some more than once, and sent back to action.
Some of the repairs were major Depot Level Repairs the kind our 2951st performs back home at McClellan AFB, CA, such as Center Wing splits and Outer Wing replacements. previously not thought possible in the field during conflict. The 2951st CLSS proved they were possible numerous times... and successful!
Together, these A-10 and OA-10 aircraft conducted 8,775 sorties maintaining a 95.7% mission capable rate, 5% above A-10 peace-time rates, had the highest sortie rate of any USAF aircraft at 16.5% of all sorties in the Gulf.
Gulf War A-10 Stats and what they Destroyed
Pilots often flew up to three missions per day with A-10's accounted for destroying 1/4 of Iraq's entire arsenal. Often exposed to withering anti-aircraft fire and surface-to-air missile threats the slow, highly maneuverable A-10's incurred extensive combat battle damage during Desert Storm. A total of six A-10's were lost: five in combat action, another destroyed attempting to land at KKMC Forward Operating Location #1 after being badly battle damaged during combat. Nearly twenty more sustained significant battle damage and many others incurred minor damage. The A-10 had lower losses-to-missions rate than the F16, F-15E, or Tornado.
Roughly half the total Gulf War A-10 force, about 70, suffered some type of battle damage.
Air superiority allowed innovative employment of A-10s in a variety of roles. Primary role was killing tanks in an interdiction role. The A-10 proved its versatility as a daytime SCUD hunter In Western Iraq suppressing enemy air defenses, attacking early warning radars, and even recorded 2 helicopter kills with its gun - the only gun kills of the war.
CLSS ABDR had a direct positive impact on the success of the war. Here are some interesting statistics about the A-10s in the Gulf War:
Interviews with captured Iraqi military personnel underscored the overall effectiveness of the A-10, a seemingly ubiquitous threat, that delivered its weapons with deadly accuracy.
According to an Iraqi captain captured by American forces on 24 February 1991, the single most recognizable and feared aircraft at low level was the A-10. Not only did the actual bombing run of the A-10 evoke terror, but also the plane's ability to loiter around a target area prior to its attack caused additional anxiety, since Iraqi soldiers were unsure of the chosen target.
Many Damages: Approx 70 A-10 aircraft suffered some type of battle damage during Desert Storm. Many of the damages were undocumented cases of relatively minor problems. Some were even caused by their own aircraft such as a bomb lanyard slapping a wing flap, or a bomb fragment flying up and embedding into it's engine cowling. But most was caused by small arm fire and surface to air missiles.
We had put together "Quick Fix" teams to deal with all these damages. At first we would go out to the revetment the aircraft parked in after returning from a mission, and give it a quick once over inspection for any damage. However, with the large number of minor damages we were finding, this process soon turned into tertiary inspections performed out at EOR itself, which gave us time to radio ahead for a Quick Fix team to be waiting for the aircraft to park.
I remember too many nights out at EOR, waiting in the EOR tent, warming up MRE's on the light-all engine, and hoping we didn't find too much big damage. It was an excellent spot to be in to watch Scud missiles as they flew over... hopefully over that is.
Tail code "AR", RAF Alconbury, UK - King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia
| Ser. no. | Nose art | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 79-0218 | — | Leased from 92nd TFS / 81st TFW tail code WR |
| 79-0220 | Yankee Express | Lt. Col. Keith A Bennett Call sign “Yankee” |
| 79-0224 | Have Gun Will Travel | — |
| 80-0144 | Poo! | — |
| 80-0157 | Fightin’ Irish | Pilot Col. Mike O’Connor |
| 80-0170 | Lakanuki | Dedicated pilot 1st Lt Buck Wyndham |
| 80-0172 | Jennie Mei / Eliminator | — |
| 80-0194 | Freedom War-Hog To Fly, Fight, Believe |
— |
| 80-0208 | Annabelle II | — |
| 80-0219 | (Phoenix nose art) | — |
| 80-0229 | Memphis Belle III | — |
| 80-0277 | Desert Dream | — |
| 81-0939 | Rocky | ex 509th TFS Light damage by AAA 21/01/91 |
| 81-0947 | Desert Belle | — |
| 81-0948 | Hog in Space | — |
| 81-0953 | Give ’Em Hell | — |
| 81-0964 | Steal Your Face | Shot down helo 15/2/91 Capt. Todd K. “Shanghai” Sheehy |
| 81-0967 | Free Kuwait 90-91 Brothers in Arms |
— |
| 81-0987 | Just a Thumpin’ | — |
| 81-0990 | War Pig | — |
| 82-0657 | Hog’s Breath Saloon | — |
"SF" tailcodes belonged to the short-lived 507th ACW from Shaw AFB, SC between 01/10/1991 - 12/06/1992
Tail code "NO", NAS New Orleans, LA - King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia
| Ser. no. | Nose art | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 76-0531 | Stephanie Ann, Bayou Babe | — |
| 76-0540 | Fist, Carmelitte, then Ouch! | Tail hit by AAA and replaced |
| 76-0544 | Desert Storm Heroes - Robert, Francine, David |
— |
| 77-0205 | Chopper Popper | Shot down helo 6/2/91 Kpt. R. R. Swain, Jr. |
| 77-0227 | Ya ya ya Grace we licked ’em |
— |
| 77-0240 | Randi Lauren Brenda Beth Anna | — |
| 77-0252 | — | — |
| 77-0255 | Camel Jockey | big SAM damage 05/02/91 |
| 77-0256 | — | — |
| 77-0260 | Lady Luck Mrs. Robbins Four Leaf Clover |
— |
| 77-0266 | Iraqi Nightmare | — |
| 77-0268 | Crescent City’s Desert Darlyn |
Leased from 46th TFTS “BD” ? AAA damage 31/01/91 Col. Bob Efferson |
| 77-0269 | Belle of New Orleans | — |
| 77-0271 | Holy *~...+! | — |
| 77-0272 | Desert Doc | — |
| 77-0273 | Desert Rose | — |
| 77-0274 | New Orleans Lady | — |
| 77-0275 | Dino | — |
| 78-0582 | Alligator | Leased from 46th TFTS “BD” 18 tank kills |
Tail code "EL", England AFB, LA - King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia
| Ser. no. | Nose art | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 79-0133 | — | — |
| 79-0137 | — | — |
| 79-0166 | — | — |
| 79-0177 | — | — |
| 79-0178 | — | — |
| 79-0185 | The Huntress | — |
| 79-0186 | — | — |
| 79-0187 | — | — |
| 79-0189 | — | — |
| 79-0190 | — | — |
| 79-0195 | Tiger 15 | — |
| 79-0196 | — | Carried CO’s marking |
| 79-0201 | — | — |
| 79-0204 | Tiger III | — |
| 79-0207 | Kansas | — |
| 79-0209 | Burger’s Queen | — |
| 79-0210 | When Pigs Fly | — |
| 79-0213 | The Heartbeat of America | — |
| 80-0173 | — | — |
| 80-0176 | — | — |
| 80-0210 | — | — |
| 80-0212 | — | — |
| 80-0224 | Hog’s Heaven | — |
| 80-0246 | — | — |
| 82-0663 | — | — |
| 82-0665 | Cool Cat, The Last Tiger | last built A-10A |
Tail code "EL", England AFB, LA - King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia
| Ser. no. | Nose art | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 79-0176 | — | — |
| 79-0181 | — |
Tyre blowout and ran off the runway into the dirt and sheared all three gear struts off 22/02/91, stripped of all serviceable parts and buried in the desert Capt. Rich Biley unhurt |
| 79-0182 |
For Storrman – we’re never let up! |
— |
| 79-0188 | The Decisive Edge | — |
| 79-0193 | — | — |
| 79-0197 | — | birdstrike to the nose |
| 79-0198 | — | — |
| 79-0203 | — | — |
| 79-0206 | — | — |
| 79-0223 | — | — |
| 80-0151 | — | — |
| 80-0152 | — | — |
| 80-0163 | We Give No Quarter | destroyed 41 tanks |
| 80-0164 | — | — |
| 80-0165 | — | — |
| 80-0166 | Live Free or Die | — |
| 80-0177 | — | — |
| 80-0178 | Mongo | — |
| 80-0181 | — | — |
| 80-0186 | — |
Pilot Col. D.E. Saywer tail hit by SAM later tail from 77-0540 |
| 80-0188 | — | — |
| 80-0189 | Deano’s Day in the Sand | — |
| 80-0190 | — | — |
| 80-0197 | — | — |
| 80-0223 | — | — |
| 80-0248 | — |
Shot down 02/02/91 Capt. Dale Storr POW |
| 82-0653 | Misfit | — |
Tail code "MB" - Myrtle Beach AFB, SC - King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia
| Ser. no. | Nose art | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 78-0587 | — | 62 missions |
| 78-0593 | The Fortune Teller | 86 missions |
| 78-0594 | Panther Princess | 83 missions |
| 78-0595 | Ripin’ Tear | 55 missions |
| 78-0606 | — | 44 missions |
| 78-0660 | — |
72 missions ACC Sgt. David Madsen |
| 78-0667 | Indian Maiden | 35 missions |
| 78-0668 | #1 Tank Killer | 67 missions |
| 78-0675 | — | 58 missions, CO’s plane |
| 78-0677 | Kiss of Death | 55 missions |
| 78-0680 | A View… to a Kill | 70 missions |
| 78-0681 | Playtime, Little Lady Diane | 57 missions |
| 78-0699 | — | 64 missions |
| 78-0715 | Panther 1 | 68 missions |
| 78-0722 | Last Crusade |
shot down 15/2/91 Pilot Cpt. Stephen R. Phillis – KIA |
| 78-0725 | — | 32 missions |
| 79-0096 |
Honey Buns – left Wicked Sensation – right |
61 missions |
| 79-0124 | — | 67 missions |
| 79-0126 |
Cowabunga (later Tawakalna) Dude |
59 missions |
| 79-0127 | — | 73 missions |
| 79-0128 | — | 72 missions |
| 79-0130 | — |
shot down 15/2/91 Pilot Lt. Robert James Sweet – POW |
| 80-0250 | — | 43 missions |
| 82-0661 | — | — |
| 82-0662 | — | 30 missions |
| 82-0664 | — |
22 missions, bigger wing damage 06/02/91, Kpt. Paul Johnson |
Tail code "MB" - Myrtle Beach AFB, SC - King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia
| Ser. no. | Nose art | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 78-0591 |
Kelly Marie’s Secret Weapon |
— |
| 78-0592 | Bullet Express | CO’s plane, Col. Sharpe |
| 78-0599 | Bird of Prey | Captain Jeff “Grass” Gingras |
| 78-0603 | Kimberley Anne | — |
| 78-0622 | Fear No Evil | — |
| 78-0654 | King of Pain | — |
| 78-0662 | Eat This Saddam | — |
| 78-0664 | Val’s Avenger | — |
| 78-0665 | Grim Reaper | — |
| 78-0678 | Midnight Express | — |
| 78-0686 | Night Penetration | — |
| 78-0710 | Darin Dawnie | — |
| 78-0713 | Race Against the Night | — |
| 78-0714 | Louisville Slugger | — |
| 78-0724 | Leslie the Seminole Warrior | — |
| 79-0097 | Dawg Hawg | — |
| 79-0099 | Fang | — |
| 79-0100 | Georgia Girl | — |
| 79-0112 | Here Comes the Judge | — |
| 79-0115 | Mud, Blood and No Beer | — |
| 79-0158 | Falcon 1 | — |
| 79-0160 | Dobber’s Sting | — |
| 79-0163 |
Sharper Than Any Two-Edged Sword |
— |
| 79-0168 | — | — |
| 79-0173 | The Full Armor of God | — |
Tail code "NF" - Davis Monthan AFB, AZ - King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia
| Ser. no. | Nose art | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 76-0529 | Mary Jane | — |
| 76-0537 |
Angel / Bad to the Bone + Arizona state flag |
— |
| 76-0543 | — |
Shot down 19/02/91 LTC. Jeffrey Fox POW |
| 76-0547 | The Unknown Bomber | — |
| 77-0183 | Wild Thing | — |
| 77-0185 |
Lenni May Live to Fly, Fly to Kill |
— |
| 77-0186 | The Warrior / The Box Seat | — |
| 77-0190 |
Julie Ann Aces and Ten’s Are Wild |
— |
| 77-0197 | — |
Crashed during landing 27/02/91 pilot Lt. Patrick Olson KIA callsign “NAIL 69” |
| 77-0200 | Live and Let Die | — |
| 77-0201 | Regulated Tang | — |
| 77-0209 | Erin O / The Las Vegas Option | — |
| 77-0218 | Porky’s Revenge | — |
| 77-0265 | Christine | — |
| 77-0270 | Missi Lynn, Western Beauty | — |