Photo By Scott Sturkol | An Air Force pilot guides an A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft from the 303rd Fighter...... read more read more
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Air Force pilots guide A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft from the 303rd Fighter Squadron of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., over the airspace on North Post at Fort McCoy, Wis., on Sept. 6, 2024, as part of training operations at installation.
According to the Air Force fact sheet for the A-10C, the Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces.
They are simple, effective and survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against light maritime attack aircraft and all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles.
The A-10C offers excellent maneuverability at low airspeeds and altitude while maintaining a highly accurate weapons-delivery platform.
They can loiter near battle areas for extended periods of time, are capable of austere landings and operate under 1,000-foot ceilings (303.3 meters) with 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) visibility.
Additionally, with the capability of carrying precision guided munitions and unguided munitions, they can employ above, below and in the weather.
A-10C pilots can also conduct their missions during darkness.
Training like this also matches with the installation’s motto to be the “Total Force Training Center.” The motto is built into the installation’s Strategic Business Plan that is completed every five years.
In the 2021-2025 Fort McCoy Strategic Business Plan, it states, “Fort McCoy is known as the Total Force Training Center because we support the training and mobilization of reserve- and active-component military personnel from all branches of America’s armed forces. …Fort McCoy has become a training site of choice for satisfying both individual and collective training requirements. The installation’s varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, four-season climate, new and renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide our military forces with an excellent training environment to develop and sustain the skills and essential tasks necessary for mission success.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2024 13:00 |
| Story ID: | 481523 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Photo Story: 303rd Fighter Squadron A-10 pilots train in skies over Fort McCoy, Part 1, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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