Saber Strike

Michigan Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotanker hooks up with an A-10 Thunderbolt II for an aerial refueling near the border between Latvia and Estonia, June 12, in support of Exercise Saber Strike 2012. Michigan Air National Guard Airmen deployed to Estonia in mid June for the Exercise, which is a multinational exercise based in Latvia and Estonia that promotes trust and interoperability among participating nations. (Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Rachel Barton)

Saber Strike

Staff Sgt. Cecil Manning, a crew chief with the 127th Maintenance Group, Michigan Air National Guard, guides an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft moments after it landed at Amari Air Base, Estonia, June 8, 2012. The aircraft, flown by the 107th Fighter Squadron, Michigan Air National Guard, are believed to be the first A-10s to ever land in Estonia. The aircraft and their Airmen were in Estonia to participate in Saber Strike 2012, a multi-national exercise based in Estonia and Latvia. (National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton)

NATO, USAFE vie during Excalibur bombing competition

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 81st Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, takes off from here and heads toward a bombing range. The Excalibur bombing competition was established to foster friendly relations between U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO, to increase esprit de corps among pilots and to show basic visual bombing skills. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tony R. Tolley)