Gus Kohntopp

Gus Kohntopp (born September 10, 1963) is an A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter pilot with the Idaho Air National Guard of the United States. He currently holds the rank of colonel and is also a commercial pilot with Southwest Airlines. He spent 14 years on active duty with the United States Air Force during which he flew the F-117 Nighthawk "stealth fighter." Kohntopp flew combat missions with the 190th Fighter Squadron during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

On February 6, 2007, Kohntopp was identified by the British tabloid The Sun as "POPOV36" (sometimes spelled in other sources as "POPOFF36"), the callsign for one of two A-10 aircraft involved in the March 28, 2003 friendly fire incident involving two United States Air Force Air National Guard 190th Fighter Squadron attack aircraft and vehicles from the United Kingdom's D Squadron, The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry, in which British soldier Matty Hull was killed. The incident, and subsequent British inquest verdict of unlawful killing, were widely reported by the media, especially in the United Kingdom.