FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- The 442d Operations Support Squadron – Operating Location Alpha at Cannon Range, an aircraft gunnery range attached to Fort Leonard Wood, hosted an open house for the local community to come experience the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft in action August 4, 2024.
Two 4-ship flights of A-10s dropped two inert 500-lb bombs each and expended 300 rounds of 30mm ammunition from the jet’s signature GAU-8 Avenger gatling-style cannon.
“Of the hundreds of videos and sound clips I’ve listened to of the classic ‘BRRRT,’ nothing comes close to actually hearing that in person.” said Mike Raye, a resident of Osage Beach, Mo., who attended the open house.
Cannon Range hasn’t hosted an open house since 2015, so when the gates opened, nearly 1500 people streamed in and set up lawn chairs and canopies to watch the action, despite the heat.
“The A-10s are known for flying low around here. Everybody who lives in Missouri knows that,” said Michael “Crunch” Sadler, a former A-10 pilot who is now the range operations officer here.
Events like this not only serve as a recruiting aid, but they help to show the public the reason for the low-altitude flying and, as a byproduct, give them a good show.