Cross-border training in eastern Europe for the A-10 Thunderbolts from Indiana.
Eight A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, along with 140 airmen, belonging to the 122nd Fighter Wing, Fort Wayne Air Station, Indiana, have deployed for a one-month combined training exercise at the Slovakian Sliač Air Base on Jul. 8. The deployment is a part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, whose aim is to provide support and reinforcement on the NATO Eastern Flank somehow threatened by Russia.
“This deployment continues to demonstrate our commitment to our allies and our deterrence efforts against Russia” states an official U.S. Air Force release.
The 163rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron will be flying with the Slovakian Air Force to demonstrate Close Air Support (CAS) capabilities and will also be participating in cross-border flights with deployed USAF total-force partners flying F-16s, KC-135s, C-130s as well as assets from other regional allied air Forces.
Although this is the first deployment of the 163rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron to Sliač, the A-10 “Warthog” has already shown its presence in Slovakia and across eastern Europe operating, among other locations, from the Polish Łask and Powidz airbases, from Bulgaria or even from the Estonian Amari airbase.
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Image Credit: U.S. Air Force
