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U.S. Air Force

Attack Squadrons

The close air support and ground attack specialists. From A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs shredding armor in Desert Storm to AC-130 gunships orbiting over Fallujah, Attack squadrons put steel on target for troops in contact.

Attack
Explore Attack Squadrons
A-10 Wings / AC-130 / CAS Heritage
Steel on Target Est. 1942
ATTACK
TROOPS IN CONTACT
Attack Squadrons
A-10 / AC-130 / Close Air Support
A-10
Thunderbolt II
AC-130
Gunship
CAS
Close Air Support
30mm
GAU-8 AVENGER
Attack squadrons deliver ordnance in direct support of ground forces. The A-10 Thunderbolt II was built around its 30mm GAU-8 Avenger cannon specifically to destroy Soviet tanks. The AC-130 gunship orbits above the battlefield delivering precision fire from 105mm howitzers and 40mm cannons. When a soldier on the ground calls Troops In Contact, Attack squadrons are the ones who answer. The mission is simple. Kill what is trying to kill your people on the ground. Read more
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Desert Storm to GWOT 1991 - Present
A-10
FAIRCHILD REPUBLIC
A-10 Warthog
The Tank Killer
A-10
Thunderbolt II
30mm
GAU-8 Cannon
1,200+
Tanks, Desert Storm
Low
AND SLOW CAS
The A-10 destroyed over 1,200 Iraqi tanks, 2,000 military vehicles, and 1,200 artillery pieces in Desert Storm. It flies low and slow, can take massive battle damage and keep flying, and carries enough ordnance to loiter over the battlefield for hours. The 23rd Wing at Moody AFB and the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan are the primary A-10 wings. Congress has repeatedly blocked Air Force attempts to retire the Warthog because ground forces refuse to lose it. Read more
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AC-130
AFSOC / HURLBURT FLD
AC-130 Gunship
Angel of Death
AC-130J
Ghostrider
105mm
Howitzer
Precision
Strike at Night
SOF
DIRECT SUPPORT
The AC-130 gunship is a C-130 Hercules converted into a flying weapons platform. It orbits targets in a pylon turn, bringing 105mm howitzers, 30mm cannons, and precision guided munitions to bear with devastating accuracy. The AC-130J Ghostrider is the current variant operated by AFSOC at Hurlburt Field. Gunships provided critical fire support in every major engagement from Vietnam to the GWOT. The call sign Spooky or Spectre overhead meant the enemy's night was about to get very short. Read more
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GWOT CAS
OIF / OEF
CAS in the GWOT
Troops in Contact, Every Day
TIC
Troops In Contact
Daily
CAS Sorties
JTACs
Ground Controllers
9-Line
CAS BREVITY
During the GWOT, Attack squadrons flew CAS sorties daily in Iraq and Afghanistan. Joint Terminal Attack Controllers on the ground talked A-10s and AC-130s onto targets using 9-line briefs. In Afghanistan's valleys, A-10 gun runs broke ambushes that would have overrun patrol bases. AC-130s provided persistent overwatch for Special Operations raids. The demand for CAS never stopped. Attack squadrons answered every call. Read more
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A-10
Thunderbolt II
AC-130
Gunship
CAS
Close Air Support
30mm
GAU-8 Avenger