“It’s more than just history, it’s our heritage, it’s who we are.”-Major Tom Silkowski, Idaho’s 190th Fighter Squadron

Towards the end of May 2021, the Idaho Air National Guard unveiled their heritage ‘8N’ A-10C Thunderbolt-2.  8N is the squadron code for the U.S. Army 9th Air Force-371st Fighter Group’s 405th Fighter Squadron.

It was part of 75th anniversary celebrations for the 190th Fighter Squadron’s(FS) birthday, 24MAY1946.  The old 405th FS logo was added to the nacelles after returning from its heritage paint job in Iowa.

The 190th FS evolved out of the 405th FS, which flew P-47 Thunderbolts during World War Two (hence the false tail number 405190). In 1944, P-47s of the 405th carried the code 8N on their fuselages: “Every aspect of that paint job, down to the smallest detail, is deliberate and faithful to how our P-47’s looked in the summer of 1944. We weren’t going for glitz and a superficial ‘wow factor.’ This isn’t a toy airplane; it’s one of our beautiful A-10 Thunderbolt-2s dressed in the same scheme worn by our P-47 Thunderbolts in World War Two. It’s like a little boy wearing his dad’s military uniform. I think that’s what makes it so special.”-Major Tom Silkowski, Idaho’s 190th FS

On 07JUL2021, 8N took part in refuel training over Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB), Idaho.

The refueling was done by a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 507th Air Refueling Wing (ARW), Tinker AFB, out of Oklahoma.

But it is not the first time 8N got refueled mid-flight.  On its way home from the heritage paint job (done at the Air National Guard Paint Facility in Sioux City), the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th ARW provided fuel for the flight back to Idaho.

Iowa Air National Guard video, by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, of 8N (sans 405th FS logo) being pull from the paint shop, 05MAY2021:

March 2021: MORALE BOOSTER A-10C GUN-RUN IN IDAHO!

2012 Pocatello Airport:

IDAHO NATIONAL GUARD A-10C THUNDERBOLT 2 ‘walkaround’