Article Posted on : - Nov 16, 2010

The A-10C Thunderbolt II fighter. A USAF photo

SEOUL (BNS): The US military has deployed an upgraded A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft to its base in South Korea.

The new aircraft was deployed at the US air base in Osan near the South Korean capital Seoul late last month, the Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday quoting a statement from the US Forces Korea (USFK).

With this deployment, the 25th Fighter Squadron of the USFK has received its last batch of A-10C aircraft with “improved precision strike capability”, the statement said.

The A-10 Thunderbolt is a twin-engine combat aircraft used to provide close-air support to ground forces and employs a wide variety of conventional munitions, including general-purpose bombs.

The fighter, with short takeoff and landing capability, is used to target tanks, armoured vehicles and other ground installations.

The upgraded A-10C Thunderbolt II, with its precision engagement technology based on laser and GPS,is capable of carrying precision-guided bombs.