• Everyone's Favorite Ground Attack Aircraft On the Verge of Retirement: A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog)
    126 replies, posted
[QUOTE]NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — As an old Warthog pilot, Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III spoke in near mournful tones Wednesday of the likely mothballing of the venerable A-10 close air support aircraft and tank killer. “Can we save the A-10?” was the question from the audience Wednesday at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference here. Clarke, director of the Air National Guard, came at the question in roundabout fashion. He loved flying the A-10 Thunderbolt, better known as the “Warthog,” Clarke said. He noted that the plane was “near and dear to land warriors” for its GAU-8 Avenger, a 30mm rotary cannon that is the heaviest such weapon mounted on an aircraft. But the Air Force was “looking at reducing single mission aircraft,” Clarke said, and under the sequestration process “we’re not getting any more money – that option is out.”[/QUOTE] [url=http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/09/18/air-force-mourns-likely-passing-of-a-10-warthog/?comp=700001076338&rank=6]source[/url] ;___;7 [t]http://static.fjcdn.com/large/pictures/16/09/1609dc_2501597.jpg[/t]
u mean the gun with wings?
This is a mistake.
i don't understand this. even if its tank-busting days are obsolete, doesn't this thing have loiter times, payload weight, and battlefield survivability surpassing pretty much every other aircraft out there? weird to scrap it
[quote]He noted that the plane was “near and dear to land warriors” for its GAU-8 Avenger, a 30mm rotary cannon that is the heaviest such weapon mounted on an aircraft.[/quote] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuYmn_xYB78[/media] That sound alone is a weapon.
You mean they can't strafe Brits anymore!? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuYmn_xYB78[/media] [editline]23rd September 2013[/editline] FUCK YOU MOTHER FUCKER
How deadly is it and how many kills has it had?
The thing would have been retired ages ago if it wasn't for Afghanistan and Iraq.
This cant be. My dad works at Raytheon, a defense contractor, and he is working on a thing that goes on top of an A-10 that makes it almost autonomous or something. I doubt its on the chopping block if they're paying my dad to help make something for it.
[QUOTE=J!NX;42289073]How deadly is it and how many kills has it had?[/QUOTE] Very and a lot.
[QUOTE=OvB;42289113]Very and a lot.[/QUOTE] Whoa.
This is a very sad day. I hope they keep some alive for shows.
[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;42289044]i don't understand this. even if its tank-busting days are obsolete, doesn't this thing have loiter times, payload weight, and battlefield survivability surpassing pretty much every other aircraft out there? weird to scrap it[/QUOTE] Not to mention the cost.
It's quite the bullet sponge too: [url]http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Stories1/001-100/0016_A-10-battle-damage/story0016.htm[/url]
[QUOTE=J!NX;42289073]How deadly is it and how many kills has it had?[/QUOTE] Can't find exact numbers: [quote]Probably the most telling indicator of the Warthog's ultimate badassitude come from it's numbers when we were fucking up the Iraqi Republican Guard in 1991. During Desert Storm, A-10s flew 8,100 sorties, with a mission capable rate of 95.7%. They were credited with killing 987 tanks, 926 artillery pieces, 1,106 trucks, 51 SCUD missile launchers, and a shitload of support vehicles and bunkers. I mean, holy shit, those hotshot flyboy prissy fighter pilots get a goddamned medal, a blowjob from a supermodel and the rank of "Flying Ace" after only five fucking kills... these Desert Storm A-10 pilots were getting racking up those kinds of numbers on their bathroom breaks. When it comes to no-bullshit death from above badassitude, the A-10 Warthog is where it's at.[/quote] This is all I can find really.
its a gun mounted on a tank that somehow has wings they better have something good up their sleeves if they are retiring the A10
[QUOTE=Johnny Guitar;42289155]its a gun mounted on a tank that somehow has wings they better have something good up their sleeves if they are retiring the A10[/QUOTE] Well, they wanted to replace it with the F-35A....
[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;42289132]Not to mention the cost.[/QUOTE] It's decently priced, the military loves it, and it saves lives. So of course, politicians hate it and want to push for shitty aircraft so that the lobbying they get will cause a replacement that requires a lot of maintenance and from that, part purchases.
[QUOTE=Ogopogo;42289169]Well, they wanted to replace it with the F-35A....[/QUOTE] Welp. Fuck everything.
[QUOTE=Ogopogo;42289169]Well, they wanted to replace it with the F-35A....[/QUOTE] Which is silly since it's never going to be used for ground combat and will only be used as an infiltrator and deep striker when its used in the ground capacity. It's too fucking expensive to risk using as Ground support and everyone knows it.
[QUOTE=Johnny Guitar;42289155]its a gun mounted on a tank that somehow has wings they better have something good up their sleeves if they are retiring the A10[/QUOTE] [t]http://gajitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bizarre-flying-tank.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=OvB;42289056][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuYmn_xYB78[/media] That sound alone is a weapon.[/QUOTE] When he sounded a lot more freaked out after the second "roaring" it gave me chills They need to purposely make these things loud and foreboding when fired
[QUOTE=Bazsil;42289202]When he sounded a lot more freaked out after the second "roaring" it gave me chills They need to purposely make these things loud and foreboding when fired[/QUOTE] It was really fucking danger close. And reasons why the Germans installed the sirens on their Stukas, that sound was terrifying.
[QUOTE=Bazsil;42289202]When he sounded a lot more freaked out after the second "roaring" it gave me chills They need to purposely make these things loud and foreboding when fired[/QUOTE] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sALiuWg_I1k[/media] It's not a little gun either: [img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/EGqbjOe.jpg[/img_thumb]
[url=http://www.badassoftheweek.com/warthog.html]My favorite bit about the A-10. Gotta love Ben[/url]
Meanwhile, the US government is tossing handfulls of cash at a failing F-35 program....
[QUOTE=Foxton;42289029]u mean the gun with wings?[/QUOTE] The Fart Cannon!
I'll be sad to see them go. They are great aircraft, and all the ground guys love them. I have never met one person in the military that does not like the A-10.
My brother works on the A-10's and I've only heard badass stories about them. When we were watching the new Superman movie, he got annoyed because the A-10's in the film had the generic machine gun sound as opposed to the (sort of) Inception sound.
hahhaha, as if they'd chop the A-10, don't get too mournful guys the A-10 is here to stay. The fucking B-52 has been flying since the early 50's for the USAF, and that big fucker ain't going anywhere either. The A-10 is a youngin compared to the ancient B-52.
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