32 turbofan engines, 16 Avenger cannons, 10 tons of armor: This is an A-10 elephant walk
That's a lot of 'brrrrt'
By David Roza | Published Nov 4, 2021 5:02 PM
Mandatory Fun Air Force Culture
If you ever wondered what the road to close air support greatness looks like, look no further than Warfield Air National Guard Base, Maryland, where the 16 A-10C Thunderbolt II attack planes of the 104th Fighter Squadron lined up down the runway on Wednesday for an ‘elephant walk,’ where aircraft line up in formation on the airstrip.
The ‘elephant walk’ tradition dates back to large numbers of World War II bombers taking off to attack targets in Europe, but the 104th used the maneuver as a chance to showcase “the capability of pilots, airfield operations and maintainers of the 175th Wing,” according to a news release.
Specifically, the elephant walk was meant to demonstrate the Maryland Air National Guard’s ability to launch combat-ready A-10s at a moment’s notice, though the news release did not say how much time it took to put the walk on.
“Our ability to generate combat airpower at a moment’s notice helps promote regional stability because we can immediately respond to any threat,” said Brig. Gen. Paul Johnson, commander of the 175th Wing. “The 175th Wing is always ready to answer our nation’s call and defend our country from our adversaries.”
https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/air-force-a-10-elephant-walk/
