A-10 «Warthog»

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). It is commonly referred to by the nicknames «Warthog» or «Hog», although the A-10's official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II fighter-bomber effective at attacking ground targets. The A-10 was designed for close air support (CAS) of friendly ground troops, attacking armored vehicles and tanks, and providing quick-action support against enemy ground forces. It entered service in 1976 and is the only production-built aircraft that has served in the USAF that was designed solely for CAS. Its secondary mission is to provide forward air controller-airborne support, by directing other aircraft in attacks on ground targets.

The A-10 shown in the image is flown by Lt. Col. John Marks, a pilot with the 303rd Fighter Squadron during Desert Storm.

Nearly three decades of flying and 11 combat deployments later, he has achieved a milestone that equates to 250 days in the cockpit, which most fighter pilots will never reach and puts him among the highest time fighter pilots in the Air Force.

Marks logged his 6,000th hour in the A-10 Thunderbolt II at Whiteman Air Force Base Nov. 14.

Ever since the end of the Cold War era when Marks began his Air Force career, the mission in the A-10 has remained the same — protect the ground forces.

«Six thousand hours is about 3,500 sorties with a takeoff and landing, often in lousy weather and inhospitable terrain,» said Col. Jim Macaulay, the 442d Operations Group commander. «It's solving the tactical problem on the ground hundreds of times and getting it right every time, keeping the friendlies safe. This includes being targeted and engaged hundreds of times by enemy fire.»