Still can't kill the A-10

[FatJackDurham]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/12/world/a-1 ... index.html

It cracks me up all the time when I read that the pentagon keeps trying to kill off the A-10 Warthog, even though they keep needing it in every war they get into.....

[GonnePhishin]

Great aircraft; easy to maintain and able to survive ground fire. Should have made more of 'em. Doesn't make sense to have a $500 million dollar airplane shoot at ground targets does it?
But I guess its all about the $$$ isn't it? The Northrup F20 Tigershark that went head to head with the F16 back in the late 70's was less than half the cost, was much cheaper to maintain and work on and gave great performance, yet the F16 was picked. SHOW ME THE $$$$$$

[Malamute]

Just saw a video of an A-10 lighting up Islamic State yahoos near Mosul Iraq, supporting Kurdish Peshmerga forces.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=586_1423263259

[Ysabel Kid]

Long live the A-10!!!

[Grizz]

Long live the A-10!!!

ditto, love that ac.

[AJMD429]

Just saw a video of an A-10 lighting up Islamic State yahoos near Mosul Iraq, supporting Kurdish Peshmerga forces. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=586_1423263259

[Leverluver]

My all time favorite also. There has to be a great sense of accomplishment in dealing destruction to those on the ground to save your own ground troops. That is as close to a knife fight you'll ever get in a fixed wing; and still efficient too. I was working in Korea in 97-98 just south of Incheon. It was a Sunday but I saw an A-10 doing close in, highly banked flying. All of a sudden I heard the brrraaappp of that 30mm. Even at about a half mile it was loud. That got my attention. I thought I had a front row seat to the start of WWIII. Turns out a practice gunnery range was just over the hill. Still had to change my shorts. Sure wouldn't want that thing pointed at me.

[Malamute]

.

If you liked that one, I just saw one of the aftereffects of such a run. Makes quite a mess.

If one just gets some satisfaction knowing theres PILES of Islamic State idiots getting whacked in Syria and Iraq, theres quite a lot of vids there on LiveLeak. Many are not for the faint of heart.

I sort of like the vids with the female Peshmerga fighters. The IS guys think if they're killed by a woman they dont get to go to paradise and dont get their vrigins. Hilarious! The women fighters know this, and seem highly amused by it.

[Grizz]

Talked to an A-10 driver in Juneau one day. He told me he can put all his ammo into a 55 gallon drum from a mile away.

The sound of the gun is kind of other-worldly. I wonder what sound track the young guys have running on their ipods while on strafing missions ?

[Hawkeye2]

"he can put all his ammo into a 55 gallon drum from a mile away"

Now that's a group to brag about!

[Rusty]

As long as there are ground forces there will be a need for the A-10 or something like it.

[7.62 Precision]

From the perspective on the guy on the ground, nothing touches it. Also, it is a very demoralizing foe for the enemy.

When I was a kid, I used to mow and bale hay in a low field. Day after day the A-10s would roll over the ridge and practice firing runs on me.

Later, we used to talk them in on targets, which was pretty cool because it is almost never that Army soldiers get to talk to pilots. Most organizations have attached Air Force personnel that handle that.

One day, the parts will be all used up and they will be gone. Hopefully then there will be a new aircraft that is even better for the purpose, and not some fighter aircraft pressed into the role.

[firefuzz]

I saw on the local news the other night where they'd pulled one from the bone yard and were re-equipping it to be a weather plane. They've already tested the engines against 2" hail stones at 200mph. No guns, just cameras and a lot of weather reading instruments. Two years from now it'll be flying into heavy t-storms to gather data.

The comment was made that the news station was concerned about finding a qualified pilot. They sent out inquiries to a lot of former A-10 jocks trying to find one. Almost all said sign me up so now the problem is picking just a couple.

Rob

[Leverluver]

The Air Force always hated that plane. They wanted fly high and go fast. Even before the F-35 (poor replacement for that duty), they thought the F-16 could do it's job. Not a chance since the AF didn't want their go fast placnes below mid level altitudes in areas that had enemies with defensive systems. Well where the heck are you going to find that in a war. The rules were set over 60 years ago; the Air Force has the wings and the Army has the rotors. IMO, the A-10 should be given to the Army or the Marines that know how to take CLOSE care of their men on the ground.

[WinM71]

Our senator, Kelly Ayotte, is a tireless advocate of the A-10. Her husband was a warthog driver in Iraq.

[claybob86]

IMO, the A-10 should be given to the Army or the Marines that know how to take CLOSE care of their men on the ground.

+1!

[Rube Burrows]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/12/world/a-1 ... index.html

It cracks me up all the time when I read that the pentagon keeps trying to kill off the A-10 Warthog, even though they keep needing it in every war they get into.....

The A10 is my all time favorite jet. What a beast it is.

[sore shoulder]

If we are not careful, over sensitive and expensive technology is going to become our Achilles heel. Something as low tech and durable as the A-10 should be kept around in large quantities as long as we have boots on the ground. Same with things like the Cobra helicopter and F-15 and F-16. We should never forget the lesson learned in WWII with the Sherman tank.

[Blaine]

I've seen the used target sleds. Perfectly clean holes burned through 18 inches of cold steel... I used to hunt at Jefferson Proving Grounds in southeast Indiana....watching, and listening to Warthogs was just as interesting as the deer hunting.

[J35]

From the perspective on the guy on the ground, nothing touches it. Also, it is a very demoralizing foe for the enemy.

When I was a kid, I used to mow and bale hay in a low field. Day after day the A-10s would roll over the ridge and practice firing runs on me.

Later, we used to talk them in on targets, which was pretty cool because it is almost never that Army soldiers get to talk to pilots. Most organizations have attached Air Force personnel that handle that.

One day, the parts will be all used up and they will be gone. Hopefully then there will be a new aircraft that is even better for the purpose, and not some fighter aircraft pressed into the role.

Back in the late 80's early 90's I lived S of Tucson and the A-10's would fly S from Davis–Monthan Air Force Base out across the Santa Rita experimental range and like you they have made a many run at me and my old VW, I have had as many as three line up and do there thing in less than 5 minutes, I always wondered what that fancy maneuver they always did at the end was all about, but after watching them on the net I now know. A lot of times after they finished one would come cruising by real slow and wag his wings at me. I have never seen or heard them fire except on the net.

The AZ air guard is also on the S side of Tucson and I have a lot of good memories of the F-100's, A-7's and F-16's doing their thing in the MTNs and one C-130 pilot gave me the best show of all.


A oldy but goody------https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79JcDxOTFN0

-----J

[wecsoger]

Mid '80s, Moody AFB GA. Base on flat terrain surrounded by pine trees.

We were doing an war fighter exercise, I was out on the ramp working an F-4 problem when the sirens went off.

A two-ship of A-10's, I swear appeared to rise up out of the pine trees about the middle of the runway. They cranked a right hand turn and had they been firing, would have taken out everything on the ramp.

Made a tight 180, came down the ramp the opposite direction to pick off any survivors and get the ramp I was sitting on.

Another turn and they headed back the way they came, I swear they sank back down into the pine trees.

Again, with live ammo and shooting a low trajectory, there would have been nothing useful left on those ramps except for the fire ants to munch on.

The A-10 engine has that whiny ball bearing rattling sound when they're really gunning it and having two of them swing by within slingshot range is a grand memory.

And I'm sure the pilots were laughing their butts off since we got *no* advance warning from the radar guys.

[WinM71]

The Warthog's engines have a very distinctive sound. They're big GE turbofans, I think the only other military plane that ever had them was the carrier-based anti-submarine S-3, now retired.

[FatJackDurham]

When I was in the National Guard, we would do a Table XII (two week tank platoon exercise) every two years down at Fort Drum. The A-10 would line up on us for practice when they were not dropping live on the bomb range. Man, I used to feel safe driving a tank, surrounded by 18 inches of depleted uranium armor. Then, an A-10 pops up, makes a swooping run and banks off behind us, and disappears.

Dead, that's what we would have been.

If the Air Force doesn't want them, lets revive the Army Air Corp.

[jeepnik]

Mid '80s, Moody AFB GA. Base on flat terrain surrounded by pine trees.

We were doing an war fighter exercise, I was out on the ramp working an F-4 problem when the sirens went off.

A two-ship of A-10's, I swear appeared to rise up out of the pine trees about the middle of the runway. They cranked a right hand turn and had they been firing, would have taken out everything on the ramp.

Made a tight 180, came down the ramp the opposite direction to pick off any survivors and get the ramp I was sitting on.

Another turn and they headed back the way they came, I swear they sank back down into the pine trees.

Again, with live ammo and shooting a low trajectory, there would have been nothing useful left on those ramps except for the fire ants to munch on.

The A-10 engine has that whiny ball bearing rattling sound when they're really gunning it and having two of them swing by within slingshot range is a grand memory.

And I'm sure the pilots were laughing their butts off since we got *no* advance warning from the radar guys.

Speaking of Phantoms, at one training base I was stationed at, they used to use the big red trucks for practice strafing runs. Those ***'s would come in low and just as the finished the pass and were overhead they'd hit the AB's. That will rattle the teeth out of your head.

What is it about big lumbering aircraft that can carry a ton or ordnance that makes they appeal to folks?

[Blaine]

Also very impressive are the AC 130 Gunships....YouTube has mucho video on those, as well.

[Bill in Oregon]

Watched Warthogs playing air tag on the road between Fallon and Tonapah many years ago. They seemed almost to pop up and hover. Remarkable aircraft indeed.

[jeepnik]

IMO, the A-10 should be given to the Army or the Marines that know how to take CLOSE care of their men on the ground.

+1!

Funny, I've never heard anyone on the ground, regardless of their branch of service, complain about who was driving the aircraft when it rained hellfire down on the enemy. But I admit I don't have much experience being on the ground at such times.

I've got a couple of kids, Marines, the eldest in particular, who thinks the US Army's Apaches are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[Malamute]

poster5.jpg

[jeepnik]

We need to send a few to North Africa with very, very loose rules of engagement.

[66GTO]

Whoops! Posted before I looked at the above. But mine is higher resolution!

[sore shoulder]

I have one problem with that meme, it cut off the main armament.