Somewhere in the skies over the Middle East, the “Rainbow Warrior” is flying.
That’s according to U.S. Central Command, which recently shared a photo of an A-10C Thunderbolt II, also called a “Warthog,” going by that call sign. Photos of the colorfully named Warthog were posted to the Defense Visual Information Distribution System, the military’s main image hosting platform. The photos, taken Oct. 8, show the A-10 being guided on the tarmac at an undisclosed location inside the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Painted on the side of the plane is a slightly faded but still brightly colored “Rainbow Warrior” identification.
And one photo shows not only its identifying name but the interior door art of the late movie star Marilyn Monroe.
Door art, on the inside of the hatch for the plane’s ladder, is a part of the A-10 pilots and sustainers’ culture, serving as more than just a bit of creativity. The art, as one A-10 pilot told Task & Purpose, is “not for public consumption.”
“You can see that ‘this is the Tasmanian Devil jet,’ so you remember the last time you flew it, and the quirks and the ins and outs,” the pilot said. “The A-10, I think, is kinda unique with that, where units are allowing guys to do that, but it’s a little more covert.”
The A-10’s fanged nose art is a distinctive element in its own right, but units have painted creative and colorful identifying art onto the sides of the close air support planes. Late last year, during a series of airstrikes against Islamic State fighters dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike, several A-10s were photographed for DVIDS showing video game-inspired art, including “Metroid” and “Diddy Kong.”
It’s not clear why Marilyn Monroe’s face was chosen for the door art for “Rainbow Warrior,” but Monroe — who worked in an aircraft factory during World War II and helped assemble OQ-2 radioplanes, a type of early drone — has been seen in art on more than one aircraft. This summer a California Air National Guard C-130J with nose art of the “Some Like It Hot” star was spotted flying into the United Kingdom.
The Warthog, with its powerful GAU-8 30mm cannon that was meant to kill Soviet tanks, has been an important part of U.S. operations against Iran, including in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The Air Force had intended to fully retire the A-10s, and has taken steps to divest from it, but this year the Secretary of the Air Force said that it will remain in operational service through 2030. Some of the remaining A-10s have been regularly operating in the Middle East over the last year, supporting both missions against Islamic State militants and the ongoing war with Iran.
This year, they’ve supported combat search and rescue operations, including the April mission to rescue the crew of a downed F-15E inside Iran. One A-10 was damaged in the course of that operation, with the pilot ejecting over friendly waters and the Warthog crashing.
The post An A-10 named ‘Rainbow Warrior’ sports Marilyn Monroe door art in the Middle East appeared first on Task & Purpose.
Recent Comments