American tank buster aircraft spotted at Lakenheath

Crowds have gathered to watch the arrival of American close air support aircraft at a base in Suffolk.

12 A-10C Thunderbolt IIs - also known as the Warthog - were spotted landing at RAF Lakenheath on Monday evening.

Another contingent was expected to arrive on Tuesday night amid speculation they were heading towards the Middle East to participate in US operations over Iran.

The US military would not comment on their mission.

Hundreds of plane enthusiasts joined a special viewing area by the perimeter fence of the airbase and told the BBC the A-10s arrived in two batches of six aircraft each.

Commonly described as a 'tank buster', the aircraft is designed to support ground forces in combat.

Its signature weapon is the GAU‑8/A Avenger cannon, a seven‑barrel Gatling gun built into the aircraft's nose which can fire up to 3,900 rounds per minute.

Markings on the tails of some of the aircraft indicated they were from the Michigan Air National Guard.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, had stated that Warthogs were being used to attack Iranian fast attack boats and mine layers along the Iranian coast.

The aircraft have also been seen in Iraq, reportedly attacking Iranian backed militias there, according to Sam Wise, an aviation analyst at Janes, the defence intelligence company.

Wise said it was likely the aircraft at Lakenheath were on their way to the Middle East.

He added that they would be there to "either expand the missions the A-10 is already conducting or to replace or augment aircraft already in the theatre".

Andy Walker arrived from Manchester that morning to the Lakenheath viewing area to see the aircraft.

He believed their arrival was to give the American military more options.

"They're transiting here so they're going to end up somewhere in the Middle East," he said.

"I would suggest it's to give another arrow to their bow."

He said he couldn't "second guess" what was going on but he added the arrival of different aircraft types at the base was "definitely building a picture".

Sixteen-year-old enthusiast Kyle Szydlo had travelled up with his father from London to take pictures of the aircraft's movements at Lakenheath.

"We just arrived here recently and saw two F-35's landing," he said, referring to the Lightning II multi-role aircraft which were normally stationed there.

Daniel Kemp from Hemel Hempstead said he was "just here to plane spot and look at the planes".

"I just like planes really and I've never seen the A-10's before," he said.

"I've just come to see them fly in."

Ice cream seller Muhamad Maroof observed that the Easter holiday had brought more young people with their parents.

"It's more busy than when the schools are on," he said.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) would not respond to questions as to why the A-10s had arrived.