After 50 years of striking fear in America’s enemies, the A-10 aircraft will be retired this month from an Air National Guard base in Maryland. As one warrior fades away, the mission pivots toward a new face of war. Mikenzie Frost reports from the flight line.

The following is a transcript of a report from “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”
Watch the video by clicking the link at the end of the page.

It’s a smoke signal and distinctive sound that many American troops know well.

After waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a 30-millimeter rotary cannon, with the ability to fire up to 3900 rounds per minute.

The sound of the A-10 Thunderbolt swooping in can often mean the difference between life and death.

Chris Palmer: Sometimes you can tell by the urgency in their voice, the situation, you’ll hear gunfire in the background, things like that.

The A-10 has been a hallmark for destruction on the ground overseas.

Col. Chris Palmer of the Maryland Air National Guard knows what it’s like to be in the sky when soldiers need him the most.

Mikenzie: What does that feel like for you?

Chris Palmer: Oh man. The adrenaline gets going right away. I think the best thing that you can do is take a deep breath and slow down because the situation they’re in may be the toughest situation they’ve ever had in their life, and they need a calm attack pilot presence to arrive to sort the situation out for them

Lt. Col. Daniel Griffin has also deployed with the guard overseas. This unit completing eight combat deployments since 9/11.

Daniel Griffin: I’ve been approached hundreds of times in my life from random strangers that have thanked me for saving their lives or their friends’ lives. It’s pretty powerful.

With a gun designed to pierce armor, the A-10 was developed in the 1970s to counter soviet tanks in Europe.

First introduced in 1977, these ‘flying tanks’ took off in popularity and use during the Gulf War. And in the 90s and 2000s, the military leaned on the A-10’s capabilities to overwhelm American adversaries all over the Middle East.

Mikenzie: Is there any other plane in the air force that can do what the A-10 can do?

Chris Palmer: Not in my opinion.

Soldiers’ admiration for the plane is evident all over social media feeds, too.

Despite the support from pilots and soldiers, the Pentagon has tried to retire the A-10 several times in the last decade, only to be saved by Congress, but now the end of the runway has arrived for the A-10 as the Pentagon shifts to a more modern fleet.

Without aircraft, the Air National Guard in Maryland will zero in on the next critical mission: cybersecurity. In modern warfare, you don’t have to be a superpower to cripple your enemy. Only internet access and an army of hackers can bring down both economies and infrastructure.

Mikenzie: When you see an A-10, for example, and you see a bomb on it, you know exactly what that does and what the purpose is. What is an offensive cyber operation?

Jason Barrass: So it’s a tough question to put into short words. At the very basic level, it’s about both attacking enemy networks and defending our own.

Col. Jason Barrass is the commander of the cyberspace operations group that has already been part of major military exercises with America’s allies.

Jason Barrass: We say hacker on hacker. So, think about access or any type of effect on an enemy network, and beyond that, it’s difficult to talk to because of the nature of what’s done in the way that we guard capabilities.

But after flying these aircraft for decades, the A-10 retirement is felt strongly here.

Chris Palmer: I’ll certainly be proud, certainly proud of the legacy, but it’ll be difficult. I’d be lying if I told you anything different. It will definitely be difficult and will definitely leave a void on this flight line for sure.

For Full Measure, I’m Mikenzie Frost in Maryland.

Watch video here.