Litening and thunder
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Lt. Col. Stephen Chappel, an A-10 pilot deployed to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing here, performs a walk-around inspection of a Litening II targeting pod mounted on an A-10 Thunderbolt II May 13 in preparation for a mission over Afghanistan. The A-10 fires a 30-milimeter canon, and can carry up to 16,000-pounds of ordnance for close air support missions to support troops on the ground. The Litening pod assists the pilot in targeting and employing precision-guided munitions and enhances the emerging reconnaissance role of the A-10. Colonel Chappel is an Air Force Reservist deployed from the 442nd Fighter Wing, based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (US Air Force photo by Maj. David Kurle, 455 AEW/PA)