- The Washington Times - Monday, August 15, 2016

The Air Force Academy debuted a new “sharktooth” football helmet over the weekend that fans of the A-10 Thunderbolt II will love.

“Are you ready?! Here it is the AIRPOWER Legacy Series Sharktooth helmet. It will be worn vs @GeorgiaStateFB #LetsFly,” the academy’s Twitter account posted on Sunday.

The Falcons will take on the Georgia State Panthers at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Sept. 10.

One could argue that the helmet art resembles the shark teeth made famous by the “Flying Tigers” of World War II, but the image appears to mirror the iconic “Warthog,” which has served the nation for decades.

A-10s, which are currently deployed in the U.S.-led coalition’s efforts against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, is an ideal aircraft for ground support and can carry a wide variety of weapons. The noise that its 30 mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun makes as it mows down targets — “BRRRRRRT!” — is arguably as famous among troops as the aircraft’s nose art.

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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