A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog | History, Controversy And Unknown Facts | Full Documentary
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- čas přidán 20. 04. 2024
- FULL DOCUMENTARY: Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" attack aircraft: the untold story, the history, and things you might not know about one of the most loved and most hated aircraft in history.
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II-era fighter bomber effective at attacking ground targets, but commonly referred to as the "Warthog" or "Hog". The A-10 was designed to provide close air support (CAS) to friendly ground troops by attacking armored vehicles, tanks, and other enemy ground forces; it is the only production-built aircraft designed solely for CAS to have served with the U.S. Air Force. Its secondary mission is to direct other aircraft in attacks on ground targets, a role called forward air controller-airborne; aircraft used primarily in this role are designated OA-10.
The A-10 was intended to improve the performance and firepower of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Its airframe was designed for durability, with measures such as 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and aircraft systems, enabling it to absorb damage and continue flying. Its ability to take off and land from relatively short runways permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines, and its simple design enables maintenance with minimal facilities.
The A-10A single-seat variant was the only version produced, though one pre-production airframe was modified into the YA-10B twin-seat prototype to test an all-weather night-capable version. In 2005, a program was started to upgrade the remaining A-10A aircraft to the A-10C configuration, with modern avionics for use with precision weaponry. The U.S. Air Force had stated the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II would replace the A-10 as it entered service, but this remains highly contentious within the USAF and in political circles. With various upgrades and wing replacements, the A-10's service life can be extended to 2040; the service has no planned retirement date as of June 2017.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m)
Wingspan: 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m)
Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Wing area: 506 sq ft (47.0 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 6716 root, NACA 6713 tip
Empty weight: 24,959 lb (11,321 kg)
Gross weight: 30,384 lb (13,782 kg)
CAS mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg)
Anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 50,000 lb (22,700 kg)
Fuel capacity: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg) internal
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) thrust each
Performance
Maximum speed: 381 kn (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean
Cruise speed: 300 kn (340 mph, 560 km/h)
Stall speed: 120 kn (138 mph, 220 km/h) at 30,000 lb (14,000 kg)
Never exceed speed: 450 kn (518 mph, 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mark 82 bombs
Combat range: 220 nmi (250 mi, 400 km) CAS mission, 1.88 hour loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combat
Ferry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knots (58 mph; 26 m/s) headwinds, 20 minutes reserve
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)
Wing loading: 99 lb/sq ft (482 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.36
Armament
Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GAU-8/A Avenger rotary cannon with 1,174 rounds
Hardpoints: 11 (8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,260 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets:
4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19×/7× Hydra 70 mm/APKWS rockets, respectively)
6× LAU-131 rocket pods (each with 7× Hydra 70 rockets)
Missiles:
2× AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self-defense
6× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles
Bombs:
Mark 80 series of unguided 'iron' bombs or
Mk 77 incendiary bombs or
BLU-1, BLU-27/B, CBU-20 Rockeye II, BL755 and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs or
Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs or
Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) (A-10C) or
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser
Other:
SUU-42A/A Flares/infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod or
AN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or
Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or Litening targeting pods or
2× 600 US gal (2,300 L) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for increased range/loiter time.
Avionics
AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny laser tracker pod (mounted beneath right side of cockpit) for use with Paveway LGBs (currently the Pave Penny is no longer in use
Head-up display (HUD)
Anti-armor mission: 252 nmi (290 mi; 467 km) with sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat.
#a10 #warthog #a10warthog - Věda a technologie
I'm a Canadian that has always studied the wars. Intill now, I had no idea how disconnected the Airforce and Army was in all the previous wars. The soldiers who called in this wonderful weapon seen them as angels. I would have given them as many as the wanted but of coarse I am just a civilian. Thank you all for your service in the armed forces.
Shocking story. Much needed for decision-makers. Thank you.
I clearly remember the first time I called an A 10 in on target felt like GOD came down from heaven and turned everything into dust that went on forever I was in love with the Hog.
Thank You for your service, and Thank God there was an A-10 to answer that call! I am a civilian that is in love with the A-10
@garylyons..WOW !!! Verry Cool !!!⚡️
I worked for Fairchild in Hagerstown, MD from '77 to '83 while the A-10 program was underway. I know about all the survivability features built into that aircraft. There is no way a multi-role aircraft can be equipped with those or have the maneuverability to provide the cover for ground troops that the A-10 provides, not to mention that awesome GAU-8 cannon. Another employee, who happened to have been an ex-bomber pilot in the AF, told me the A-10 could carry more ordinance than a B-17. I'd like to see the multi-role fighter that can do that. This video was sure an eye opener. I never knew the Air Force brass was so adamant about killing the A-10 program. I'd also like to mention, the company name was Fairchild Republic during the A-10 program. Republic built the fuselage and wing center section in Farmingdale, Long Island, NY. Hagerstown built the wing outer panels and the empennage. The wing outer panels were transported to Farmingdale to be mated to the wing center section, then the wings, fuselage and wing center section were shipped to Hagerstown for final assembly and flight testing. In spite of this awkward method, the end result was one terrific ground support aircraft.
The two stand-outs for me are the A-10 and the F15-(E). Both can do multi-role and both are in my mind the only two aircraft we need to preserver for the next 50 years. While the stealth options are cool (I love the F-35s signature) the cost to benefit ratio of that airframe is tough to stomach. Just repainting the edges of the ladder system for the pilot are insane.
I think the Air Force wants to cut the A-10 from service so they can use that money for R&D on more advanced aircraft.
Personally, I love the A-10 (and the sooner the Air Force dumps it, the sooner I can get my hands on one), but if there is a better attack plane that the A-10 is keeping from development...it seems the A-10 has become a plane that is a day late and a dollar short. The A-10 is a low tech plane and an argument can be made that it fills that low tech slot but maybe high tech has advanced to the point where it effectively erased that low tech slot.
I don't know, I just pay my taxes, I don't make military decisions.
@@cliffcampbell8827 yup. Same as why the A-37s were just given away. Not sexy enough. Not cool enough. Not expensive enough.
Everyone I've met who flew them, loved everything except the noise.
Irony is, most of the cost savings from drones is mirrored in the A-37 programs success.
@@fshalor738😂
Probably the Best A-10 doc on the Net... A must see...
Russ
½ through and look greats
The USAF brass still hate the A-10
As prior Airman I love it. One of my favorites.
Probably because they are attached to the Army, overlooking the trenches. 😂
The simple solution- move the A-10s to army control - is a perfect dilemma for the airforce brass. Keep A-10 and keep the finances and people involved. Let the army take the A-10 fleet and you lose that control.
@davidelliott5843 the Army was offered the A-10 in the 80s. They don't want the responsibility of training for and maintaining a single fixed wing aircraft.
@@davidelliott5843 They didn't want the A10 anyways so your point is moot. They were continually forced by congress (you know that thing you all think is stupid and inept) to keep the A10 which became so outdated it literally has no use outside of murdering entrenched goat herders armed with AKs and RPGs. A10 survivability was far worse than its counterpart the F111 in Desert Storm, so it's not like you can say it saved pilot's lives either. It was a good aircraft and deterrent for a small window of its life but because big gun make little man peepee hard, we had to keep it for far far longer than it was even viable.
The soldiers on the ground would love them more than any of us could imagine, like a cavalry showing up and charging.
Most epic plane. Ever.
My pops was a lifer in the army as a tanker. When I was a teenager I had the opportunity to go to summer camp with a friend on a air force base. We got to watch a live fire exercise of the A-10. It was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen! I was raised around tanks and I knew that a tanker wouldn't have a hope in the world against one of those planes!
Definitely everybody on the grounds favorite
Thanks, I enjoyed the video, especially the deep dive into the people involved in theA-10 development and their influence on future weapons testing. Not a big fan of the military industrial complex but what works, works, cannot argue.
I love this aircraft. I do believe it's my favorite aircraft for close air support.
An Excellent documentary. Should make a movie of the interservice rivalry in developing the A10
1985,I was standing on an Hilltop in Germany nearby Spagdelem airbase.
An A-10 was flying around the Hill,very close could see the face of the pilot.
Was a wow moment we will never forget.
Slowly passing by,what a beautifull peace of machinery.
I was stationed at Hahn AB just up the road from you. I had a friend at Spang.
When I was a kid in the 80s I wanted to fly the A-10 SO BAD! Unfortunately, I don't have 20/20 vision, which dashed my hopes. My Dad was an artillery captain, so I look at the A-10 as "Arial artillery".
Yes, with the front cannon it would seem like that. The second time bombs or missiles would be used, doing even more damage. I wonder if the F35 will be as adept in flying 150-300 Kts below 10,000ft altitude.
The A-10 is by far my favorite fighter plane of them all. The P-47 Flying Tiger is a close 2nd.
I was going to say that☹️.....you were first though. 😀👍and that still leaves me the A4 Skyhawk, the A7 Vought Corsair, the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, the F16 Fighting Falcon, the......
The Ju 87 bears mentioning.
@@packrat76 your so right. With the inclusion of a psychological terror device.
@packrat76 ju 87 and even more - the sturmovik IL2 - the first successful plane with the armored bathtub protecting crew and fuel - the bathtub was acrually made structural/loadbearing to save weight. Main armament were two 23mm autocannons
Why not give the A 10 program to the Army and Marines as well as the appropriate budget since the AF don't want to do it.
The brass hates the A10, but pilots love them. Numerous pilots stories about returning from missions with severe damage but the pilot alive and well. Ground troops loved them too.
A 10 is like 1911 😊
The A-10 is slow, ugly, and obsolete.
And yet it still gets the job done better than anything else. Somehow it's perfect.
God I miss this job. 74th Fight Squadron. World Famous Flying Tigers.
First like?? May you be blessed with many more!
Thank you. This was so educational. We live in era of 100 million dollar jets. The guy on the ground bed a tank butter. I have personal experience with AF guys on projects an d heart broke to to know they whereabout themselves, not the tax payer. There are real heroes in this documentary.
If the general doesn’t want the A10 then the general’s must serve along the ground troops they command.
What for, they have a more important mission, serving the aircraft companies that didnt build the A10
Dumb comment. In the first Gulf War the F-111 was a far superior tank killer and CAS. This "documentary" is a pure fluff propaganda piece.
Most video's about the A-10, fail to mention that ALL A-10's, were given to The Air National Guard. USAF has tried to take back the A-10, so they could kill the program. When they saw the effectiveness they tried again to take it back, they failed. Still today all A-10's pilots are flown by Air Guard pilots.
Not true Dm still has 3 active wings in the 355th
That thing is sweet
Nobody mentioned the significance of ballistic coefficient factor of the high density depleted uranium on top of the burning like magnesium and self sharpening characteristics. Muzzle energy of the .460 Weatherby magnum is 2,500 foot pounds greater than the muzzle energy of .340 Weatherby magnum Lapua
As the two bullets reach 600 yards their foot pound energy will be equal. At 1000 yards the .340 Lapua bullet hits with 1800 more foot pounds of energy than the .460 does at 1000 yards. If I remember right the .340 caliber Speer Lapua step boat tail bullet(above mentioned)has the highest ballistic coefficient that I know of. At .910 it's twice as high as the next closest bullet.
If anyone knows the ballistic coefficient of the 30mm depleted uranium round used in the GAU 8 rotary cannon I would be very greatful to know. I'm sure the high density high coefficient on top of the self sharpening and metal burning characteristics are the reasons this GAU 8 cannon has been so successful in the A-10. I'll bet Hans Ulrick Rudel would have choose to use one if he could have. If there is anyone who doesn't know of this German WWII Stuka pilot who flew 2500 combat missions mostly over Russia was shot down many times was credited with sinking a cruiser or a battle ship and hundreds if not thousands of tanks with his preferred twin 37mm cannons mounted to his Stuka. He even survived the war
Yeah, I'm afraid I have to despise the use of depleted uranium unfortunately.
In terms of warfare it has its place but eventually even the longest wars end. Children come in contact with the remnants of exploded warheads & play with the dull grey poison of depleted Uranium. It lies in fields that will be intended for growing various crops & it finds its way into the water table. It harms civilians mostly & a civilian under a dictator could be as against their country's regime as the invading force.
If they finally find freedom from the dictator & regime then they easily find themselves confined by miseries equally bad or worse with the very real chance of cancer, leukemia & birth defects among other things. Rarely are children combatants & always without a clear understanding of the ramifications or reality if they become combatants.
Depleted Uranium is yet another remnant of war left behind, forgotten & giving a lie to any possibility that any conflict could have been to give the civilian population a better life.
Hans urlich rudel was also a hardcore nazi, after the war he was the Founder of relief organization for Nazi war criminals
Neo-Nazi activist
Election candidate from the extremist German Reich Party
He even sheltered dr mengele
...in 1978, I used'ta see flatbed trailers traveling west on I80 in Paterson, NJ with the fuselage (on one trailer) and the entire wing assembly9on the second trailer) going to the assemble point in Maryland...ca 1977 I went to the(IIRC nationals) IMPS convention in Farmingdale, LI, across the street from Republic Aviation...they showed two demo film of the testing that had been done to the A10..one as a demo of the titanium tub that surrounded the pilot - they tested a Soviet ZSU four barreled cannon at extremely close range against it - the only visible damage were burn/splatter marks where the round had impacted against the armor...the second film was on the GAU 30 - it's operation and a closeup of the huge 30mm rounds...seriously impressive to me...
I've got a copy of Flight International showcasing the A10's release. Wonderful cutaway drawings.
The sound of that turbine engine and the gun is unmistakable. I’m sure this weapon system saved many lives
Hopefully the troops now know what had to be done to get this tool through
This my brother favorite aircraft, he even got the chance to work on them.
The Flying Machine Gun 😊
Sounds like we don't need a new plane, we need new generals.
Thanks!
THANK YOU 🙏
Phenomenonal!! So good I thank you so much for this!!! Wow!
I grew up watching exclusively, first and foremost, the Military Channel, then History Chnl, then Science Channel, and sometimes H2 or H Intnatnl', and didn't much deviate from those. Otherwise working for my Father, retired Green Beret and Veitnam vet who growing up was a C.P.A. with his own firm. Mowing yards had 10-12 a week by age 10 in 4th, 5th grade. Working on a friends farm much as possible which was a good chunk of 7-14, baseball, football, track, did C.A.P.... And read, a LOT of books specifically on History and History of Warfare as Dad had bookshelves of non fiction warfare literature... This, brought me back to a time in my life that was truly great. Truly blessed. And grateful for my parents for, influencing my self inspired passion for challenges, betterment, and uplifting and encouraging my fellow Man...
I really needed this. So very much and I didn't know how, much I really am just, way to God damn hard on myself...For not saving the world already as if its my duty and responsibility...And I realize there's a lot to love and I do and have done some pretty amazing things... Furthermore... I am not alone, "We Few..." are not few, but quite large in number, I see.. I know this may see self infatuating here.. But I see it... And through the nostalgia I received here. Had a moment to really do some introspection, much needed.. God bless you for this, my friend... Words may not convey the gratitude and appreciation I have for stumbling across your content.... Very well put together. VERY pro America, and pro American Soldier. While also remaining unbiased... You're a Gentleman and a Scholar sir. Thank you.
Sincerely, Good Hunting, & always, Godspeed!¡!
~/\/\/~
I was stationed at Elgin AFB in 81-83. Our dormitories were right next to the test facility for the gattaling gun. It would have tests at all hours of the day and night. Working in the Civil Engineering squadron, I had access. To all test sites on this 250sq mile base. Many times I got to watch or support test that Systems Command performed. Best of times!
My Father was a A-10 CrewChief at Barksdale AirForce Base Reserve Unit.
He was proud of his support of the A-10.
Pilots flew in the ski channel (between Cypress Trees SWAMP) Lake Bisteneau and came back with leading edge missing, and cypress tree tops stuck inside of the engine induction collins.
Boneyard in the desert has been picked for REPLACEMENT PARTS!
Afghanistan/Iraq Wars the Army has many troops saved!
Govt: the army is cooking up a cooler aircraft than you
Airforce: "oh he'll nah"
*some time later
Airforce: you get an a10 you get an a10 you get an a10
I saw some A-10s live fire at Nellis and they came over the horizon, looked like they were hovering, and quiet as can be. Then I saw the smoke off the gun saw the ground erupt in the air and full of sparkles like a 4th of July firework, with pieces flying off the tank, then after all that heard the BRRRRRRRRTTTTT. It was amazing.
Im sure some of the armored vehicles i have fired upon during convoy ops at Nellis AFB Silver Flag Alpha range (this range is now retired, unfortunately) were quite possibly leftovers from this massive tank army. Thats fkn awesome. Thank you guys for all you did for this program from the beginning and into the future. Semper Rah
Honestly the A-10 platform needs to be upgraded but given to USMC. Every marine is infantry. So why wouldn't we have a close air support weapon in the same service instead of having a JTAC from the chair force.
OIF/OEF combat vet. Loved the A10 and Apaches.
around 57:45 video/audio is garbled. Congress should have given A-10 a large budget to continue research into upgrading designs and research into air/spacecraft armor & deflection technologies against ballistic & radiation weapons. High tech planes are to take out tracking & anti-aircraft tech, maintain air superiority and cover our helicopters, Harriers & A-10s, which in turn cover CAS/Transport/Supply/Special Ops for our ground troops. Modify air flow around A-10 nose & fuselage to disperse gunsmoke away from pilot & engines.Maybe add an armored computer coordinated mini-CIWS on top & bottom to cover incoming missile/drone attacks. Will have to reconfigure entire aircraft for best aircraft performance, survivability & mission success. If the experts approve any upgrades to the A-10,,have NSA watch & stop system of organized saboteurs.
Air Force is the Army's Taxi service. Army and Marines should make and fly their own A10 or its replacement.
Great show on its history!
That is a TOTALLY BOSS plane. Talk about BANG for the BUCK.
My Uncle Albert flew P-38 with a cannon in the nose like the A-10 able to put the nose on the target for straight targeting than guns in wings, side of fusleage can be problematic of guiding the rounds.
P-38 - PERSUIT aircraft was used in close support with nose cannon to straifing mission, as well as early interceptor in AIR and GROUND.
My uncle wrote of Japanese Island invasion barges of RESERVE TROOPS were about to unload on a beach to engage American Army Troops.
His wing was tasked in taking their P-38 to prevent such Support Reserve Units getting a beach hold.
He wrote about the inhumanity of KILL OR BE KILL, and the gruesome deaths.
He died in WW2 volunteering for flight time in a (HEAVY) MULTI-ENGINE GOONIEBIRD MAIL ROUTE for qualification of PRIVATE AIRLINES after the WAR.
Bad Engines, or Payload/loadmaster or weather could have been a factor,,,, he didnt get altitude/lift.
I would like to see a new analysis of a new need for a groundsupport aircraft, taking into account drone technology...
Not always true. In WW2, island hopping by the Maines and army killed too much of our men. Not to mention atomic bomb did end the war.
True dudes.
More friendly fire kills than any piece of military hardware in history
You ignored the fact that most generals are political appointees that don't actually think.
That's Generalizing a bit don't you think?
Not majorly but in general terms I mean.
@@evryhndlestakn its in the name, they are Generally just General. all jokes aside, no general becomes a general because they cant or do t think. The truth is, by the time they become a general, They are probably thinking too much, Not just the goals of their mission, now more than before, they are more selfish, and care more about their Political status, and economical benefits they get, from the aircraft companies. at the end of the day, they are just Lobbiest just in a Military form. and just like the scum of the world Lobbiest. They will say and do anything, for financial gain, regardless of how bad it is for the people, and how negative their affects are.
Actually you are correct but it is an even worse situation than you portray. At the height of WWII with 12 million people in uniform we had 8 four star officers in the whole military. Now, with 1.5 million in uniform we have 45. Every one gets at least a 40 person staff and millions for a budget for their own office. When guys like Schwarzkopf and Powell went before congressional boards to get promoted to field grade officer positions they were asked questions like "how did Rommel screw up in North Africa" or "How did Montgomery screw up in Holland". Also back in the day pretty much every candidate had to have had combat experience. Nowadays, starting with Obama, the candidates are asked "how will you integrate body positive thesbians (with a "L") into the units and where will you save money on procurement and training to pay for transmission medical procedures? And of course actually leading troops in battle is not really wanted anymore.
@@mikect500 that should be a concern.
@@evryhndlestakn why do you think that we are pretending that women are warriors? The Chinese, Russians and North Koreans want us to, especially China pushing it on tictok. A current Navy official recruiter is a bisesual cross dresser and the Navy uses that as an incentive to join.
USA bomber brass were so self-indoctrinated by their big bomber theology they actually refused to fit drop tanks to P-47 Thunderbolts. The aircraft had everything needed except the actual tanks which were left mouldering back Stateside.
This is the best Aircraft for ground troop support.... the A-10 has saved many lives. Also caused many men to hide in 😨 fear. This plane will go down in history as a WAR BIRD to be reconed with.
props to that Russian Frogfoot too
This story is NOT complete without acknowledging the success of th A-37 in the CAS history. Dumping those planes hurt us. Edit: Having watched the whole thing; Someone correct this "FULL DOCUMENTARY" please? The A-10 would NOT exist today without the A-37s participation in Vietnam. Not including the CAS success story of that grunts-and-crafts derived hybrid airframe is a disservice to the history of the A-10.
The Warthog that kills the strengthened tanks, amazing.
Great argument for re-integrating the Ir Force into the Army
Its a master piece and a great air craft
During the ground march ,why don't they have tanks out front before the ground troop marching to a town? Minimizing casualties on the ground. This is why you want your tank out front before the ground movement. The Abrams are either the Bradley. Tanks, should it be out front?
☠️ .."Gimme my A-10's BEEATCH !!!"
1:18:37 Pilot fires minigun. 1:18:44 Target soils themselves...!
To this day the Air Force brass hasn’t learned its lesson about CAS and the A-10.
Interesting helmet on the pilot at 6:42. Is this from WW2? I thought they all used the small leather ones.
I want a t shirt, having the hog on an attack angle on a tank. On the back of the shirt i want this phrase, A10 Worlds best can opener!
the cannon with an aircraft built around it 🙃
👍😁
😊ò
😊
What is the most important job of a one purpose of any multipurpose plane ? Save the lives of American military personnel.
The A-10's record has proven it was right aircraft for Close Air Support
To clarify the armor kills during Desert Storm. As impressive as the A-10 was, roughly 1000 kills. The F-111F utilizing GBU-12 Laser Guided Munitions had roughly 1500 kills. Tank plinking from around 18,000 ft. This video is is inaccurate. With that said I do believe the A-10 had an important role in supporting ground troops.
This is a great example of why it's a monumentally terrible idea to divide militaries into branches. You get rivalries and you waste resources inventing the wheel again, multiple times. One service, led firmly, with the goal of optimal use of resources and development efforts.
The A10 is the only thing us Army guys like about the airforce... so, of course, the USAF generals hate it.
If the A-10 was the perfect ground support air craft, then why change it? Did tanks start to fly?
we were in contact from a tree line the, A10 removed the tree line and muzzle flashes
These aircraft are great airborne tactical artillery pieces (lots of bombs and bullets). They would have made a huge difference in Ukraine where the ground forces have been outgunned in the artillery domain.
Strategically they also have significance in the 'quality of numbers' as stand off weapons, cruise missile and glide bomb launch platforms.
They provide the attack aircraft numbers in a hi lo mix. No airforce should be without them and plenty of them, as numbers have a special quality of their own.
Our Air Force is more politics than brains.
If they make a new one it needs an Active Protection System like tanks have for MANPAD's.
Pierre Sprey, was an unsung hero of the time. His involvement and cooperation with so called, 'fighter Mafia' was instrumental in significant improvement in the face of USAF intransigence.
I think you may be mistaken about Sprey and the so called "Fighter Mafia". Have a look at Lazerpigs videos exposing him as a fraud...
Give em to the Marines
The Army should own the close air support mission.
The Marines hsve their own aircraft for CAS.
The marines were offered the A-10 in the 80s. It can't land on a STOL carrier or runway.
Goes to show you how much the government cares about its soldiers we need better Generals with big cojones
We're doing the same thing today.
It's far from the prettiest plane, that title (for me) goes to the F-16 with the F-14 in close second... But when it comes to a mean looking mothermucker, the A-10 wins hands down... It must also be such a confidence boost, knowing you're flying a beast that can bring you home when your flying low and letting that gun go BRRRRRRRRR. There's just no aircraft that can do what it does... Maybe a Spooky gunship when it comes to destruction to enemy ground units, but other than that, nothing
"Give me my A10s"
He had some british soldiers to blue on blue I guess
Blue on blue happens it sucks but that's war.. alot has been done to limit it but there will always be human error.. many of the BOBs were because of incorrect information/data given.. A couple of the Brits situations were mostly that..
Horton was being paid very well from military contractors..
Wow! Seems like even back then our best and brightest rarely ended up in positions of leadership. Sounds like to me that those in leadership that could see the bigger picture, Should have pushed a policy that any USAF Brass that tried to squash ground support would immediately be transferred and have to be assigned to and minimum of two years with front lines ground forces. See if they had a different perspective then. Maybe it shouldn't come as a shock that enlistment numbers are tanking. As usual the individuals that are on the ground in the shit are treated as the most expendable. Where the Brass rarely if ever have to worry about any repercussions for bad decisions and or faulty priorities. Such a bizarre issue that I've witnessed my entire working career in different trades. Rarely does leadership or management ever go to the guys and gals performing the job to get their input on ways of making things more productive and efficient.
If this is the thinking of the current generals then America will lose the next war to an army who communicates at ALL levels. All levels of Military are needed without any form of favoritism in any major battle that is Air, Ground and Sea in any order
So true. Fellow Kiwi?🇳🇿
Wtf. This is $200 on eBay? I got rid of my premium so I gotta check out the hacking scene first
Fast movers are no good for close air support
CIA Thx Thomson CFS for the air defense system datasheet
Came to learn about the A-.10, went away with how the air force ended up with the $2 trillion, glitch ridden and unproven F-35...
As much as the U.S.airforce critics say the hog would be out of its element in Ukraine, I beg to differ , as I believe there are missions it would be very successful on, end of comment,👊
It was not designed for Vietnam....it was desighed for the North German plain
14:33 The military was perfectly prepared and capable of carrying out missions in Vietnam, but politicians got involved and literally hamstrung the entire military.
As they say “follow the money”! ie bribery🇺🇸
I think I've found the US armed forces' main weakness, politics. You'd think they'd consider the lives of personnel far more than budgets and egos, but they don't.
Why don't they bring the plans out of mothballs and build the new version of the a-10 why is the American people throwing a fit about this the man on the ground need that new design a10
The A10 is not survivable. That's why the Air Force is getting rid of it. The proliferation of very capable IR-seeking manpads make it untennable. Very cool platform, but unnecessary. It can sure ground pound, but what's the point if it gets shot down? In more permissive environments, any other plane or helicopter can perform a similar roll. The cost-benefit simply isn't there. In Iraq it had 3 times the loss rate per mission of f16s. And that would have only gotten worse now with MANPADs being more common.
I should point out that the A10 could be useful in a drone-carrying, or loitering munition / decoys on its many hardpoints, flying from unprepared and makeshift airfields. That could be useful in modern warfare. But maybe a purpose-built aircraft for this could be cheaper and more reliable.
Did you notice the way the engines are hung away from the fuselage on pods?
They were specifically designed to survive having an engine hit by a heat seeker without damaging the second engine or other important bits.
No airframe is completely invulnerable, but this one is still better than most.
There was no close air support in the 1800s lousy guys
The A10 was the most Deadliest Weapon System in all of Kandahar Afghanistan.
They keep doing this Political Nonsense downplaying the Importance of the A10
Now the AIR FORCE eagerness, Philipine will retire their AV-10 Broncos for our retired A-10 to combat insurgency rebels.
What a great historical exposé of bureaucratic pettyness in the armed services! The infamous Mark 14 & 15 torpedo debacle early in WW2 ought to have been example enough not to put important ordinance into operation without thorough testing.
...and the introduction of the M16 into combat in Vietnam...
Love the P-47, but the F4u Corsair was the best fighter of WW2. Abd the Cheyenne was awesome, too. I believe it would've performed far better than the A-64. Freaking politics!
That's David Attenborough narrating 😸
Horseshit mission?😂 spoken like a true air force officer
Cold, hard, truth. I am sick of the violence and find myself having to justify this to everyone i say it to. That's stopping right now! And i know all of the sad history of the region. And it mirrors the sad future of the region. Im done with it all. Its never going to change until we have all had enough of it. And they dont want change all they want is more blood...