This plane is the face of salvation when you're outgunned in the US Army

The A-10 Thunderbolt II was introduced in 1977.

The A-10 is more commonly known as the "Warthog" or "Hog."

The A-10 has a reputation for extreme toughness and an ability to remain in the air even after sustaining damage.

It's powered by two huge General Electric TF34 turbofan engines.

The aircraft weighs 12 tons if it's flying empty — but it can fly with up to 13 tons more worth of arms.

The phrase "Go Ugly Early" is associated with the aircraft. It refers to calling the Warthog in for heavy close air support early on in an engagement.

The A-10 is mostly used for ground attack missions, like softening up enemy forces for an upcoming wave of American infantry.

In addition to a 30mm Gatling gun, the A-10 has 11 mounts for additional firepower.

This is the GAU-8 Avenger Gatling gun, the cannon on the nose of the plane.

It fires 30mm caliber rounds and can blast up to 3,500 rounds per minute.

The A-10 can hold 1,174 rounds of ammunition for the Avenger cannon.

Needless to say, that kind of firepower is very, very effective against armored ground targets.

A warthog fully loaded with eight tons of firepower is truly a sight to behold.

This AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile weighs up to 670 lbs and can wipe out a tank in a single shot.

The Maverick missile costs between $17,000 and $160,000 depending on the guidance system used.

The Maverick can make a significant dent in an enemy's line.

The A-10 can also fire Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions: Ten-foot-long smart bombs with an accuracy of up to 7 meters.

The A-10 has been a crucial component of Air Force close-air support for decades.

The A-10 is the meanest, toughest close air support aircraft in the skies, and it's incredibly good at what it does. But that might not be enough to save it, and the Army recently said that it wouldn't take the Air Force A-10s if the branch goes through with its plan to stop using the decades-old plane.

Now that you've seen what's in the skies, see what's going on under the sea

Step Aboard The Navy's $2.4 Billion Virginia-Class Nuclear Submarine >