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From the AFA Daily...



Cheers! M2

Thanks for the news M2. Good hunting!

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Slow is Fast, Fast is Slow
Violence may not be the best option, but it IS an option

Their 5th Tour! Holy Crap!
Are we that Short trained Units????

Good Hunting, God's Speed and Kick Ass!!!


Goose

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\"Live Free Or Die\"

No, we've just been there that long... 7 1/2 yrs so far...

maybe im wrong, but wasnt Battle Creek the first unit to send a few A-10C's to Afghanistan?

or maybe they were the first ANG unit to do so?

Looks like Kandahar should be really their new deployed location ...

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Joachim Jacob
Warthog News Editor
http://warthognews.blogspot.com

Its been that long already???

Holy Crap

Goose

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\"Live Free Or Die\"

Geez...it's been 6 years since I was rubbing elbows with LastRaven and the 81st at Bagram!

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

I updated my blog: http://warthognews.blogspot.com/2009/08 ... dahar.html

Please enjoy the exclusive aircraft shots, taken at Lajes Field, Azores, by Warthog News contributor Paulo Santos, Portugal.

To Skuz9c1: In March 2002, the very first Hogs over A-stan were Moody jets, originally deployed for OSW to the 332nd AEG at Ahmed Al Jaber AB, Kuwait. For some more details please check: http://warthogdeployments.blogspot.com/ ... istan.html (still under construction).

_________________
Joachim Jacob
Warthog News Editor
http://warthognews.blogspot.com

Dice...correct me if I'm wrong but Moody didn't have A-10s in 2002....

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To prkiii:

The first involved A/OA-10A contingent was the 74th EFS which consisted of elements from the 74th FS, 23rd FG \"Flying Tigers\" (ACC), Pope AFB, North Carolina. This EFS regularly deployed for the AEF 1/2 (Cycle 3) rotation. 23rd FG personnel operated simultaneously in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch for nearly seven months.

Lt. Col. Matthew D. Neuenswander, an A-10 pilot (El Cid), was the Deputy Commander of the 332nd AEG from July 2001 to July 2002. In March 2002, he led an A-10 detachment that deployed forward into Afghanistan in support of Operation Anaconda and then re-deployed that unit to Bagram Air Base where he became the first AEG Commander in Afghanistan. Colonel Neuenswander flew A-1O sorties as a Forward Air Control (Airborne) (FAC(A)) in support of Operation Anaconda.

In an article, Col. Neuenswander wrote:

[...] When senior air commanders in theater were called upon to provide high-intensity and high-volume CAS and TST to assist in Operation Anaconda, they \"pulled out the stops.\" On the night of 3 March, the CFACC directed the A-10 unit stationed at Al Jaber to move five jets to a classified forward location.

This unit launched the first A-10s 12 hours after notification, and the unit was in place from more than 1,400 miles away with its first operational capability 27 hours after notification.

The A-10s conducted CAS and FAC(A) missions and at times performed the ABCCC and airborne warning and control system (AWACS) missions. These aircraft provided a large portion of the TACS/AAGS architecture and significantly aided in target area deconfliction, target acquisition, command and control, and terminal control of CAS platforms.

In their role as CAS fighters, these A-10s were responsible for the destruction of a significant number of enemy targets. This included the total destruction of a large enemy counterattack on 5 March. At one point during Anaconda, the pilots and maintainers of the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) provided 21 continuous hours of FAC(A)/CAS coverage over the target area with only four aircraft.

As soon as the runway at Bagram Air Base was repaired and allowed full-length operations, this A-10 unit moved to Bagram to support CJTF-Mountain and served as the backbone for a new AEG. This group, and later wing, was initially manned and supported by the 332d AEG out of Kuwait. The CFACC took a number of key personnel already in theater \"out of hide\" to build this unit until these positions could be backfilled from the states.

The feat of moving an A-10 unit 1,400 miles in one ATO day is a testimony to the US Air Force’s combat logisticians, Director of Mobility Forces and 332d AEG. Hundreds of professionals in the Mobility Forces truly made this operation possible. [...]

Source: \"JCAS in Operation Anaconda - It’s Not All Bad News\" (Field Artillery May-June 2003)

In an 43rd AW PA news article \"DOD-level winning squadron compete for Phoenix Award\", released in September 2003, 23rd FG commander Col. Vincent DiFronzo was quoted:

\"It was the first time they decided to put A-10s into Afghanistan after the first night of Anaconda,\" DiFronzo said. \"We called, and the aircraft were airborne within 14 hours and into the fight. That was unprecedented.
\"The maintenance piece was so impressive because they jumped right into recovering the aircraft,\" the colonel said. \"It was a four-hour trip in an A-10 to get into the battle area, and then they had to recover into a classified area with no notice. They were there for a week, went back to (their original Southwest Asia location) and deployed to Bagram a few days later, and the whole time they met every A-10 tasking.\"

According to this article, at Bagram 74th FS members worked to clear unexploded ordnance, set up a tent city and got maintenance and flying operations working to support 300 Air Force personnel and six aircraft.

_________________
Joachim Jacob
Warthog News Editor
http://warthognews.blogspot.com

Skuz

Note the distinction...



Cheers! M2

I understand DM sent a complete set of C models to A-stan.

but wasnt BC the first unit to send a C model, even if it was one jet out of the 12 (example) that went?

PK, you're correct, Moody did not have A-10's in 2002

JJ, you need to check your facts about where/when specific units where assigned.

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Faugh ah Ballaugh ~ Clear the Way

The first A-10s in AFG were 74 FS out of al Jaber Kuwait in support of Operation ANACONDA in Mar 2002. Soup and Mumbles flew the first sortie. El Cid deployed with the maintenance package and provided C2 for the operation. A truly heroic expeditionary operation!

Not sure who the first C-models in Afghanistan were, but it really doesn't matter, does it? The C-model's first combat deployment was Iraq in 2007. Everything after that is just a qualifier.

Yes. We were with maryland at AL Asad. They took the first rotation and were the first A-10C's in Iraq with both Maryland and B.C. jets. When B.C. rotated in we were in country about 2 days and were re-located to Bagram and became the first A-10C's in Afghanistan with the same airplanes.

Actually, AFA posted this follow-up...



But again I think the emphasis was that this was the first full compliment of C's deploying...

Cheers! M2

It doesnt matter at all. I'm just surprised I remembered something so tiny from a few years ago. It could almost be a final question and "A-10 Jeopardy"

thanks for the follow up majormadmax

All that Matters is that some \"Ground Pounder or Grunt\" in a fire fight, pinned-downed by a bunch of bad guys can always make a \"911\" call and count on the A-10 's over head to get rid of them.

I think the whole\" CAS\" part is being lost with some of all this \"Hype\" of the \"C\" .
The Folks on the ground are the A-10's #1 Job.

I might be wrong

Goose

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\"Live Free Or Die\"

Hey for those of you have been back or fourth in the past 2 years If you ever or do come across a Chaplin \"Padre\" with a \"Beer brand named after him\" I'm not going to post his name,and a Groundpounder tell him \"Sgt Goose\" says Hi and let me know.


Goose

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\"Live Free Or Die\"