81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron left Spang for Afghanistan

As mentioned on the Dutch Scramble Message Board, A-10Cs from the 81st Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Wing (USAFE), Spangdahlem AB, Germany, "have gone East!"

And as expected by me for months, elements from the 81st FS with twelve A-10Cs are finally on an Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) combat deployment to the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

As mentioned on the German Flugzeugforum - see topic Flugbetrieb in Spangdahlem (ETAD) 2010 - twelve A-10Cs departed Spang already on Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Possibly (and at least usual in the past), their stopovers en route Afghanistan were at Souda Bay, Crete, and at Al Udeid AB, Qatar.

During their AEF (Air Expeditionary Force) rotation (time frame still unknown to me, but four months are usual), the 81st EFS will replace an Air National Guard "Rainbow Team", consisting of personnel and 12 A-10Cs from the 104th Fighter Squadron, 175th Wing (Maryland ANG), and from the 184th Fighter Squadron, 188th Fighter Wing (Arkansas ANG).

For their current OEF combat deployment, the 81st FS finally spinned-up during exercise Red Flag 10-03 at Nellis AFB, Nevada.