The Afghanistan government wants the United States to redeploy the A-10 Thunderbolt II, affectionately known as the “Warthog," back to the war-torn country. The heavily-armed close air support aircraft with the big, big gun would go back to Afghanistan as part of a U.S. military buildup designed to bolster Afghan forces and destroy Taliban sources of revenue.

Earlier this fall, the United States sent 3,500 troops to Afghanistan in an new offensive designed to prop up Afghan forces and destroy drug production facilities that fund the Taliban insurgency. The U.S. has already struck 25 out of an estimated more than 400 drug factories in Afghanistan, using the F-22 Raptor to deliver precision-guided weapons without collateral damage to civilians. The Taliban have also received military aid from Iran, including the direct participation of Iranian commandos in attacks on the government, threatening Kabul’s ability to maintain control over the country.

Negotiations to bring the planes to Afghanistan, Air Force Times says, are still at a low level, and Air Force Brig. Gen. Lance Bunch, director of U.S. air operations in Afghanistan, told Air Force Times and other reporters at the Pentagon. “We have not made any decisions at this time to move A-10s, that I know of.” Close air support duties are apparently being carried out by 18 F-16C Fighting Falcon fighters based in-country.

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The A-10 Thunderbolt was a staple of American airpower in Afghanistan for years. The Warthog’s ability to carry a large amount of precision-guided missiles, from Maverick missiles to GPS-guided bombs, as well as its seven-barreled GAU-8/A Avenger 30-millimeter Gatling gun, provided invaluable support to U.S. forces that reported “troops in contact” with the Taliban and requested close air support. Heavily armored with redundant systems and a titanium-shaped “bathtub” that shields the pilot from ground fire, not a single A-10 was shot down by Afghan insurgents.

If the Warthog returns to Afghanistan, it will return deadlier than ever, sporting the new Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System. APKWS is a laser guidance kit fitted to 70-millimeter Hydra rockets. Unguided, Hydra rockets used to be fired in salvos to increase their odds of actually hitting anything. APKWS now means that a Warthog equipped with them can now engage 19 separate targets.

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