U.S. A-10s and Bulgarian Su-25 operate together for the very first time

Frogfoot, Fulcrums and Hogs train together.

Twelve U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, assigned to the 74th EFS (Expeditionary Fighter Squadron), are currently deployed to Graf Ignatievo airbase, Bulgaria, as part of the European Theater Security Package in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

During their deployment, not only did the Moody Air Force Base’s Warthogs have the chance to train in CAS (Close Air Support), CSAR (Combat SAR) missions, operating even from austere landing strips, but they also had the opportunity to train with the Bulgarian Air Force.

The images in this post show the “Hogs” operating alongside the BuAF Su-25K Frogfoots and MiG-29 Fulcrums during joint missions (that included also DACT – Dissimilar Air Combat Training).

Noteworthy, this was the first time the world’s most famous CAS platforms (once enemies) worked together!

Image credit: Bulgarian Air Force

About David Cenciotti

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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.