US Allies Thrilled to Have A-10 Warthogs Back in Europe

PARIS (Military.com) -- U.S. allies are happy to have the A-10 Warthog attack aircraft back in Europe to counter a resurgent Russia, airmen here at the Paris Air Show said.

The Defense Department brought the Cold War-era tank busters stateside in 2013 as part of a consolidation of bases and equipment in Europe. But it sent them back to the continent as part of a theater security package earlier this year -- including countries in the former Soviet bloc -- in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and support for pro-Russian separatists.

The planes have been a welcome sight during training exercises involving NATO forces in the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia and Romania, among other countries, according to crew members.

"It's pretty amazing because that's what this jet was designed for -- Russian tanks -- so it's pretty wild that we're helping them out for the original cause," Air Force Staff Sgt. Marcus Nugent, a crew member who works on the aircraft's avionics systems, said on Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, held at the historic Le Bourget airfield outside the city.

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