After Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the United States gradually began to shift its air power to European territory.
Under the pretext of joint training within NATO, the US has deployed the “Garuda” Electronic Warfare Fighter Squadron with the Boeing EA-18G Growler in Germany. And in line with the presence of the Growler in Germany, it is now announced that the US has placed a fleet of "tank busters" in Iceland.
Quoted from Theaviationist.com (6/5/2022), it is said that 10 A-10C Thunderbolt II (Warthogs) from the Maryland Air National Guard arrived in Iceland on May 5. The A-10 Thunderbolt will take part in Rapid Response Exercises and deployments to continue operations in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region.
Officially, Warthogs are deployed to Europe to carry out Agile Combat Employment and support the US Army Swift Response exercise, the US Army-led multinational annual exercise in Europe and Africa, which runs from 2 to 20 May 2022, across Eastern Europe, including the Arctic region, the Baltic Sea and the Balkan Peninsula. About 9,000 troops from 17 allied and partner nations will take part in the drills, including about 2,700 US servicemen and airmen.
And still regarding the presence of the A-10C Thunderbolt in Iceland, the US Air Force has also announced that the 422nd and 59th Test and Evaluation Squadrons have succeeded in proving that modern armored vehicles equipped with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) protection layers can still be destroyed by The 30 mm caliber GAU-8 Avenger tank cannon mounted on the A-10C Thunderbolt II muzzle.
The GAU-8 Avenger's claim of being able to tear the ERA coating on armored armor is based on the first test-firing conducted at the Nevada Test and Training Range, on February 14-25, 2022. Each test mission with two A-10Cs used armor-piercing shells.
Incendiary targeting two MBTs (Main Battle Tanks) equipped with ERA. Pilots vary the parameters and direction of attack to evaluate the weapon's effect on armored targets.
Through post-shooting video analysis, photographic imagery, and visual inspection of the target, the analyst was able to ascertain the damage from a GAU-8 Avenger shot could incapacitate the MBT.
“The GAU-8 Avenger is equipped with 120 rounds, which means one A-10 is capable of firing nine to ten targets before depleting its ammunition,” said Major Kyle Adkison, commander of the 422nd TES A-10C division.
He added, “Against a large cavalry force, the A-10 formation is capable of striking nearly 40 armored vehicles with 30 mm ammunition. That's a significant amount of firepower."
In addition to the 30mm cannon, the test firing also collected data on the effectiveness of the AGM-65L Maverick and AGR-20E Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System missiles against armored vehicle targets.
The A-10 is seen as ideal in Agile Combat Employment, and these tests prove that the A-10 can continue to deliver massive, rapid firepower with devastating effect on enemy vehicles in contested environments.
GAU-8 Avenger at a glance, is a General Dynamics production canon that carries 30×173 mm caliber ammunition. With seven rotating barrels, the GAU-8 Avenger has a firing rate of 3,900 projectiles per minute and a projectile launch speed of 1,010 meters per second. The GAU-8 Avenger's effective firing range is 1,220 meters and a maximum firing range of 3,660 meters.
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