81st FS Hogs in Romania

[J.J.]

See: http://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/news/stor ... =123174572" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Please also check: http://warthognews.blogspot.com/2009/10 ... -with.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anybody who identified the other four Hogs alongside A-10C 82-0650?

[Stefan]

See: http://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/news/stor ... =123174572" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Please also check: http://warthognews.blogspot.com/2009/10 ... -with.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anybody who identified the other four Hogs alongside A-10C 82-0650?

Replicating the news item makes it all a lot easier:

81st FS conducts combined training with Romanian air force

by 2nd Lt. Kathleen Polesnak
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

10/27/2009 - CAMPIA TURZII, Romania -- The 81st Fighter Squadron has teamed up with the Romanian Air Force to conduct training and exchange perspectives to help boost mission capabilities and foster collaboration among NATO partners.

About 250 Airmen and five A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 52nd Fighter Wing are part of Dacian Thunder, a combined training exercise with the Romanian air force, aimed at enhancing both countries' ability to conduct combined search and rescue operations, air-to-air and air-to-ground sorties, and weapons delivery.

So far, the squadron has completed more than 70 sorties, about 20 of which have been in conjunction with Romanian air force assets, including Super Puma helicopters and MiG-21s.

"We're very excited to be here," said Lt. Col. Ronald Stuewe, 81st FS commander, "not just for our training aspect - which is considerable - but our ability to engage in work with our NATO partners - with the Romanians."

"This deployment offers tremendous training opportunities for an A-10 squadron," Colonel Stuewe added. "We plan on maximizing the events that are difficult to obtain from home station - low altitude, chaff and flare employment, and basic weapons delivery."

This includes the A-10-C's Situational Awareness Data Link, a computer network that connects pilots to each other and ground forces making weapons delivery a more accurate, efficient process.

"The training has been outstanding because we've been able to utilize the full capabilities of our aircraft," said Capt. David Befort, an 81st FS pilot.

Besides being able to flex all the A-10's muscles, the experience of flying over new terrain is also exciting, Colonel Stuewe said.

"On the flying side, the countryside is absolutely beautiful. It's a very nice time of year - the trees are turning, there's snow on the mountains and there's beautiful terrain in the valleys," he said.

[J.J.]

Thanks for boosting, Stefan!

[wamovements]

Another one is 82-0654.

[J.J.]

81-0992 is also identified by photo.

[J.J.]

Thanks to two videos, released by USAF on their public main website, the remaining unknown Hogs are identified now. And so, the following five A-10Cs from the 81st FS, 52nd FW, Spangdahlem AB, Germany, participated in Dacian Thunder 2009: 81-0983, 81-0992, 82-0650, 82-0654 (still wrong marked as 81-0654), and 82-0656. Anybody who knows their announced arrival date back at Spang? If yes, German aircraft spotters would be on place at the right time.