Flying high in the sky
An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies a close-air-support mission over Afghanistan on Nov. 7. The Thunderbolt II can employ a wide variety of conventional munitions, including general purpose bombs, cluster bomb units, laser guided bombs, joint direct attack munitions, wind corrected munitions dispenser or WCMD, AGM-65 Maverick and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, rockets, illumination flares, and the GAU-8/A 30mm cannon, capable of firing 3,900 rounds per minute to defeat a wide variety of targets including tanks. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)