UPDATED INFO: Endangered by budget cuts, Selfridge A-10s deployed to fight ISIS

A 2013 photo of an A-10 aircraft and some of the 127th Wing airmen
 stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township.

While their future remains in doubt due to proposed budget cuts, A-10 aircraft stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base have been deployed to the Middle East to aid in the air campaign against ISIS.

The announcement was made this afternoon by Major Gen. Gregory Vadnais, the adjutant general of the Michigan National Guard, at a special event at the Harrison Township base. Vadnais told the Selfridge Base Community Council that 350 airmen and 12 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from the base’s 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard were deployed last week for six months.
“This deployment is a true testament to the vital role our National Guard plays in national defense and to the effectiveness of the A-10 ‘Warthog’ in combat, which is why I will continue to fight for the aircraft and stop shortsighted efforts to divest the fleet,” Miller said.

The 127^th Wing has been deployed four times to Afghanistan and Iraq over the past several years. 

Beginning last summer, several types of U.S. aircraft flying from bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and elsewhere, have completed 12,000 sorties In Iraq and Syria targeting ISIS militants.

A-10s have also been deployed across Europe this year – in Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Romania – in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Vadnais reportedly addressed the continuing battle in Congress over defense budget cuts, particularly the Air Force plan to retire the entire A-10 fleet. The National Guard commander said he doubts that future base-closing efforts would impact Selfridge and he expressed hope that, if the A-10s are idled, Selfridge could return to flying F-16 fighter jets, as the base’s airmen did in the recent past.

Located on Lake St. Clair, the sprawling Selfridge base is the only major military installation remaining in Michigan.

The A-10’s role is to flow low and slow over the battlefield, attacking enemy troops and destroying tanks and other armored vehicles.

The updated version, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, features a tough, titanium skin that is able to survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive projectiles.
When shot up, it just keeps going. The aircraft is designed to fly with one engine, one tail, and half of one wing missing.
Online videos demonstrate the power of the Warthog’s Gatling gun. Each round fired by the 30 mm cannon, located at the nose of the plane, is about the size of a beer bottle.

Those airmen who have flown the A-10 refer to its four-rounds-per-second bursts of gunfire as the “brrrrrt.” The plane is also known for the distinctive whistling sound of its twin jet engines.
Within the 127^th Wing at Selfridge, the 107th Fighter Squadron, known as the Red Devils, flies and maintains the A-10s. The 107^th has existed since Selfridge became operational in 1917, making the site one of the oldest air bases in the nation and the squadron one of the first of its kind in the nation.

“The brave airmen and women who serve in the 127th Wing have always answered the call to serve and defend this country and fight for the liberties and freedoms we hold dear,” said Miller, wife of former Selfridge base commander Don Miller. “For their continued service to this nation and to their families, who share in the sacrifice, we are forever grateful, and we pray for their success and safety as they embark on this new mission.”