BCWM is a small part of the very large air base, now mostly home to industrial units. It is housed in an above-ground concrete bunker with an operations room and decontamination chambers (anticipating chemical warfare) and has a collection of half a dozen vehicles and three aircraft - a (British) Harrier GR3, a Phantom and an A10 'Warthog'. The A10 has a 30mm seven-barrel Gatling-type gun and carries 1174 rounds, which it can fire in about 18 seconds if the pilot keeps his finger on the trigger. It is for use against tanks. The 81st Tactical Fighter Wing would have supplied A10s to four forward bases in Germany to attack Soviet armour in the event of a Warsaw Pact invasion of West Germany.
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