ISIS Attacks USAF’s A-10 Warthog Aircraft With Strela Missiles: Iraqi News

Airstrikes carried out by the US on ISIS positions using the A-10 Warthog aircraft killed and wounded a number of terrorists near the village of Sultan Abdullah near Moshul in Iraq at dawn yesterday, Iraqi News reported.

Quoting an unnamed source who witnessed the action, the report said that the aircraft carried out four airstrikes sparking panic in the ranks of ISIS after flying close to the ground.

“Elements of the terrorist organization retaliated with 4 Strela missiles and but that did not cause the aircraft any damage, prompting the remaining elements to leave the bodies of their dead and carry the wounded to escape towards the Shirqat district (120 km north of Tikrit), the report said.

The Warthog is officially the A-10 Thunderbolt II and is the Pentagon’s favorite close air support aircraft. The aircraft comes with an armored fuselage which can withstand small arms and light cannon fire. It carries air-to-ground missiles and the GAU-8 Avenger Gatling cannon whose rounds can pierce tank armor.

The Strela is a Russian made shoulder fired surface to air missile intended to target the engines of aircraft. Russia has exported it in large numbers to a number of Middle Eastern countries including Iraq.