Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Joshua Allmaras | A special warfare tactical air control party Airman, from the 124th Air Support...... read more read more
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A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots from the 190th Fighter Squadron and special warfare tactical air control party Airmen from the 124th Air Support Operations Squadron, Idaho Air National Guard made history when they dropped live 500-pound Mark 82, low-drag bombs from A-10 Thunderbolt IIs in the Orchard Combat Training Center, south of Boise, Idaho, May 18-19, 2021.
“We have never dropped live ordinance at the OCTC in the history of the Idaho Air National Guard,” said Lt. Col. Mike Hampton, director of operations with the 190th FS. “This opens up the doors between us and the other local units, and hopefully we can do it more down the road.”
The live drops were part of a joint fire exercise with the 2nd of the 116th Combined Arms Battalion, Idaho Army National Guard from Gowen Field. The exercise replicated a real-world scenario where constant fire is needed to suppress the enemy.
“It's significant for us to train in the joint warfare environment where we get synergistic effects on the target, utilizing field artillery and aircraft and put the maximum firepower on the target to allow friendly units to maneuver, establish a strong point or take an objective,” said Capt. Jason Waits, an air liaison officer with the 124th ASOS. “All of those things are designed for us to push the fight away from our soldiers and allow them to safely get into a position to defend themselves or the population that we're trying to protect.”
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2021 12:07 |
| Story ID: | 396937 |
| Location: | BOISE, IDAHO, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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