On Oct. 12, 13 A-10Cs belonging to the 188th Fighter Wing, AR ANG, and 175th FW, MD ANG, made a stopover at Decimomannu airbase, in Sardinia, Italy, on their way back from a combat tour in Afghanistan.
The Warthogs of the Air National Guard “Rainbow Team” (meaning it was a detachment made of planes and crews belonging to multiple units) supported Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram, in Afghanistan.
Although it’s one of the most busy airbases in Europe, Decimomannu airbase is seldom visited by transiting aircraft, especially U.S. combat planes on deployment or returning to the U.S.
The reason for this rare visit, which ended on Oct. 14, when the aircraft left to continue their return flight to the CONUS (Continental United States) could be that NAS (Naval Air Station) Sigonella, in Sicily, a more common stopover, is currently overcrowded with U.S. planes supporting (covert) ops in North Africa and drones.
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Image credit: Gian Luca Onnis
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