Bombing and Strafing at the Goldwater Range
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The Goldwater Ranges are used for bombing and gunnery training for military aircraft based around Arizona. Frequent visitors include General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons from Luke Air Force Base and Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. These pictures were taken on Range 2, 22 miles south of Gila Bend, on Thurdsay, February 2, 2012.
See the location where I photographed Bombing and Strafing at the Goldwater Range on February 2, 2012 in Google Earth.
A pair of Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 357th Fighter Squadron Dragons based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base started bombing soon after we arrived at the range tower. The pilots at the range started by dropping BDU-33 training bombs from high altitude. Then they switched to long range strafing, followed by short range strafing of target banners.
Impact of a BDU-33 training bomb about one mile from the range tower. An old army truck has been placed on the target to give the pilots a real thing to aim at. The training bomb contains a small smoke charge to mark its impace.
Impact of a BDU-33
Impact of a BDU-33
Dust rises from ground strikes of 30mm shells from the A-10's GAU-8 gatling cannon.
Dust rises from ground strikes of 30mm shells from the A-10's GAU-8 gatling cannon.
Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 82-0663 of the 357th Fighter Squadron Dragons based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II 78-0671 of the 357th Fighter Squadron
A-10C 78-0671
A-10C 82-0663 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon. It's very cool. First you see the smoke from the gun. Then you hear the bullets hitting the ground. After that you hear the sound of the gun firing.
A-10C 82-0663
A-10C 78-0671 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon
A-10C 78-0671
A-10C 78-0671
A-10C 82-0663 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 82-0663 of the 357th Fighter Squadron Dragons: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 11" x 16".
A-10C 82-0663 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon in black and white.
A-10C 82-0663
A-10C 82-0663
A-10C 78-0671
A-10C 78-0671
A-10C 82-0663
A-10C 78-0671
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 78-0671 of the 357th Fighter Squadron Dragons: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
A-10C 82-0663
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 82-0663 of the 357th Fighter Squadron Dragons: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
A half hour after the A-10s finished their practice, four General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 310th Fighter Squadron Top Hats based at Luke Air Force Base arrived at the range.
Smoke rises from two BDU-33 impacts.
Impact of a BDU-33
Impact of a BDU-33
General Dynamics F-16C Block 42J Fighting Falcon (Viper) 90-0752 of the 310th Fighter Squadron Top Hats based at Luke Air Force Base fires its M61 A1 Vulcan gatling cannon.
General Dynamics F-16C Block 42J Fighting Falcon (Viper) 90-0752 of the 310th Fighter Squadron Top Hats based at Luke Air Force Base fires its M61 A1 Vulcan gatling cannon in black and white.
F-16C 90-0752
General Dynamics F-16C Block 42J Fighting Falcon (Viper) 90-0762 of the 310th Fighter Squadron Top Hats fires its M61 A1 Vulcan gatling cannon.
F-16C 90-0762
General Dynamics F-16C Block 42J Fighting Falcon (Viper) 90-0762 of the 310th Fighter Squadron Top Hats: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 11" x 16".
The banner of the strafing target is shredded by cannon shells.
General Dynamics F-16D Block 42A Fighting Falcon (Viper) 88-0159 of the 310th Fighter Squadron Top Hats fires its M61 A1 Vulcan gatling cannon.
F-16C 90-0752
F-16C 90-0752
General Dynamics F-16C Block 42J Fighting Falcon (Viper) 90-0754 of the 310th Fighter Squadron Top Hats fires its M61 A1 Vulcan gatling cannon.
F-16C 90-0754
F-16C 90-0752 and F-16D 88-0159
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 79-0120 B. C. Barksdale of the 47th Fighter Squadron Terrible Termites based at Barksdale Air Force Base is assigned to the ANG/AFRC Test Center. It is adorned with the face of a warthog.
A-10A 79-0120 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
A-10A 79-0120 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
A-10A 79-0120 alters course toward a second target.
A-10A 79-0120 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
A-10A 79-0120 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
A-10A 79-0120 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 79-0120 of the 47th Fighter Squadron Terrible Termites: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
A-10A 79-0120 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon in black and white.
A-10A 79-0120
A-10A 79-0120
A-10A 79-0120
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 79-0108 of the 104th Fighter Squadron Liberati Impromptu based at Air National Guard Base Martin State.
A-10A 79-0108 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 79-0108 of the 104th Fighter Squadron Liberati Impromptu: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
A-10A 79-0108 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon in black and white.
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthog) 79-0108 of the 104th Fighter Squadron Liberati Impromptu: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
A-10A 79-0108
A-10A 79-0108
A-10A 79-0108
A-10A 79-0108 fires its 30mm GAU-8 gatling cannon.
A raven watched over us as we packed up at the end of the day.
The last two A-10s wrapped up their practice by making a nap of the earth approach from behind the range tower. One of them kicked up a cloud of dust and blew gravel all over us.
The Goldwater Ranges, south of Gila Bend, are used for bombing and gunnery training for military aircraft based around Arizona. Frequent visitors include General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons from Luke Air Foirce Base and Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Warthogs and Vipers at the Goldwater Range.
A dozen photos of Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Warthogs) and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons (Vipers) firing their guns at the Goldwater Range. Aircraft pictured include:
General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 90-0754
Fairchild-Republic OA-10A Thunderbolt II 82-0663
Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II 78-0671
General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 88-0548
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II 79-0120
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II 79-0108
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II 80-0146
General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon 89-2157
Put a copy of the Warthogs and Vipers at the Goldwater Range: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
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