US deploys more A-10's to Syrian conflict to be based in Turkey

AFP:

The US military has deployed a dozen A-10 ground-attack planes to the air base at Incirlik in southern Turkey, a US official said Tuesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the move had "added capability" to the coalition's efforts against IS.The 12 planes, famed for their tank-destroying capabilities, arrived over the weekend and have already been scheduled to fly missions in support of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, the official told AFP.

Known by troops on the ground as "Warthogs," A-10 planes are heavily strengthened and designed to withstand direct hits from armor-piercing rounds.

The planes typically fly lower and slower than F-16s, which also puts them more in harm's way.

"There's more significant risk than other aircraft due to the flight path they typically fly," the official said.

It wasn't immediately clear if the US-led coalition has already used A-10s during its bombing campaign of IS jihadists, which has been going on for more than a year.
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Actually a national guard group of A-10's was sent to the theater in September of 2014.   Earlier this year I posted a story with interviews of A-10 pilots who claimed to be killing about 1,000 ISIL fighters a week.  What is new in this story is that they are now A-10's based in Turkey which puts them closer to the action.  The A-10 is the air craft ISIL fears the most.