Direct proof of use
The A-10 Thunderbolt II is directly documented in the 2003 Iraq War through official U.S. Air Force reporting from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Air Force reporting on the Michigan Air National Guard's 110th Fighter Wing says A-10s operated from Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait and Tallil Air Base in Iraq, and that the unit's 12 aircraft struck tanks, armored personnel carriers, buildings, aircraft, bunkers, vehicles, weapons-storage bunkers, and revetted positions during four weeks of combat operations.
Separate Air Force accounts document A-10 close-air-support missions over Baghdad on April 7 and April 8, 2003. In the April 7 incident, an A-10 from the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing was hit by enemy fire after supporting ground troops; in the April 8 incident, another A-10 was hit by what U.S. officials described as an Iraqi surface-to-air missile after a close-air-support mission over Baghdad.
Sources: Guardsmen detail close-air support, Pilot brings battle-damaged A-10 home safely, Pilot describes Baghdad crash, A-10 crashes in Baghdad
Timeline
In the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 110th Fighter Wing was tasked to prepare Tallil Air Base for A-10 missions so aircraft could refuel closer to Baghdad-area targets. Air Force reporting says the first A-10 refueled at Tallil four days after Lt. Col. Dave Kennedy arrived, and A-10s began operating permanently from the base three days later.
On April 7, 2003, an A-10 pilot deployed with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing was hit over Baghdad after a close-air-support mission for ground troops and returned the damaged aircraft to a forward operating base. On April 8, 2003, Maj. Jim Ewald's A-10 was hit after a close-air-support mission over Baghdad; he ejected south of the city and was recovered by U.S. soldiers.
Sources: Guardsmen detail close-air support, Pilot brings battle-damaged A-10 home safely, Pilot describes Baghdad crash, A-10 crashes in Baghdad
Narrative
The sourced record places the A-10 in U.S. service during the invasion phase as a close-air-support aircraft used near coalition ground forces. Air Force reporting says close-air-support requests initially did not specify a type, but after the first week of the war 80 to 90 percent of requests cited the A-10 specifically, according to Kennedy's Pentagon interview.
Tallil Air Base became a practical forward operating point for the aircraft. The Air Force account describes a base damaged by Iraqi defensive work and lacking usable fuel, maintenance, security, medical, and operations infrastructure, then records A-10 refueling and permanent operations there within days. The same account attributes a four-week record of 1,100 targets struck by 12 A-10s from the 110th Fighter Wing.
The Baghdad incidents show both direct employment and hostile-fire exposure. The April 7 account says the A-10 had just supported troops on the ground before enemy fire damaged the aircraft, while the April 8 accounts describe a close-air-support mission followed by a surface-to-air missile hit, aircraft crash, pilot ejection, and coalition recovery.
Sources: A-10C Thunderbolt II Fact Sheet, Guardsmen detail close-air support, Pilot brings battle-damaged A-10 home safely, Pilot describes Baghdad crash, A-10 crashes in Baghdad
