The Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II was designed to counter Warsaw Pact armoured divisions had they invaded NATO territory. The unit that was to be in the vanguard of blunting such an attack was the 81 st Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW). The first three A-10As for the wing arrived at RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, in August 1978 for maintenance training. It was to become the largest fighter wing in the USAF and the nearby base of RAF Woodbridge was also used to accommodate all the squadrons.
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