A victory marking or kill marking or kill mark) is a symbol applied in stencil or decal to the side of a military aircraft to denote an aerial victory achieved by the aircraft’s pilot.
The use of victory markings originated during World War II and frequently took the form of the roundel or national flag of the nationality of the aircraft defeated.
The interesting image in this post was taken on Oct. 24, 2016, when A-10 Thunderbolt II Attack Aircraft serial number 78-0624 returned home from a 6-month tour of duty in support of Operation Inherent Resolve
Related Article: USAF A-10 Warthog that scored a simulated aerial victory against F-22 Raptor and F-16 Fighting Falcon
Many different types of bomb markings were spotted on A-10 Thunderbolt II belonging to the 124th Fighter Wing (Idaho ANG), from Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho
The image contains a mix of missiles, guided bombs and rockets, that complement the A-10’s GAU-8 Avenger 30-mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-type, there are GBU-12 Paveway LGBs (Laser Guided Bombs), AGM-65 Maverick missiles, GBU-38 JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) and GBU-54 laser-guided JDAMs (both based on a Mark-82 500-lb bomb – the -54 differs from the -38 for the distinctive laser seeker – according to our sources the marking is the same), the 2,000-lb GBU-31 JDAMs and the AGR-20 laser-guided rockets used with the LAU-131A/A rocket launcher.
By the way, there are 124th FW aircraft that sport more bomb markings than 78-0624: in particular, in 2016, 78-0633/ID had an impressive amount of stickers applied to the area just below the right side of the cockpit. Take a look at the following photo dating back to 2016:
Many People ask this question that bombing marking include the quantity of bomb dropped or Different types of bombs dropped. Here is the answer to that question
This may vary from deployment to deployment, one A-10 pilot told us that usually, 30mm bullets represent 100 rounds, bomb stickers represent two bombs of that kind, whereas rockets and missiles represent one of each. “If we applied one sticker for each bomb expended in combat we would cover all the aircraft!
Related Article: The A-10 Warthog that killed a Cow during a Close Air Support Mission
Operation Inherent Resolve was is the U.S. military’s operational name for the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight-wing jet aircraft designed for close air support (CAS) of friendly ground troops, attacking armored vehicles and tanks, and providing quick-action support against enemy ground forces.
