As a former U.S. Marine Infantryman, I can tell you that ground troops absolutely LOVE the A-10's and their pilots. Their job is to keep us "ground pounders" safe and we (almost always) treat them with great respect. Also, if you like this video about the A-10, look at the video The Fat Electrician did about it. He gives you some of the history about it and does it in a very humorous way. However, watch it before your kids as he sometimes uses some 'colorful' language (haha!). It is very funny, though.
In 1978 I was hired by Fairchild Republic to build the A-10. When the company showed me the film of what this aircraft could do, they hooked me, being only 18 YOA. I was amazed that I could work on this legendary aircraft. My job was to put the aft hydraulic system in and the right and left troughs hydraulic system. The work I did on this aircraft with all other workers made me very proud to help our Country and its Military.
Yes, she is my Nephews wife, both were A-10 pilots, now retired. Colonel Scott "Soup" Campbell and Colonel Kim "Killer Chick" Campbell. Thanks for suggesting these folks check out her story.
@@CarlD70 ... She's super nice. I think it was on Ward Carrols channel (he was an F-14 RIO in the Navy) where he did an interview with her. I asked a question in the comments and she was nice enough to answer my question. That's kind of rare on youtube. She was a cool professional.
@@brucew7062 I know all across America, military bases and prisons are built in or near towns and cities to provide jobs and additional income to places that need financial boosting, but what you said definitely got hearty chuckles from me! 😜 😂
@@Billy-zv6gv many of our Marine Corps Bases and Air Stations are built in more isolated low population density areas strictly for training purposes. Most of the local towns absolutely rely on the base to keep the town viable. Some exceptions are Miramar (San Diego) CA and Hawaii (land is pretty scarce there anyways). We say the Marine Corps builds a base and later thinks about getting funding for recreational things whereas the Air Force does it the other way around. The Army does a good job of getting enough funding to build the base and the recreational things at the same time. The Navy can be hit or miss on land bases and ships are what they are as any recreational space is limited to maybe a gym, a library, and some small lounge areas within the berthing spaces.
@@brucew7062 Excellent details! A lot of Americans firmly believe we should relocate military bases all along the borders, starting with Mexico, with Navy bases farther South of San Diego and Houston, TX, with Army, Marines, and Air Force bases in between to increase National Security, but with so few and little towns on the borders, in practice versus theory, it wouldn't be possible financially.
@@brucew7062 Btw, I didn't mean to imply that every one of our military bases are in populated areas, because I know about training areas, especially 29 Palms USMC base out in Southern California deserts to train Marines in desert warfare for the Middle East, including retired shipping containers arranged to resemble Arabic housing and buildings for close urban combat training. Whilest the town of 29 Palms is just a near-hamlet.
To answer the question, the A-10 is not fast enough to catch up to its bullets, and also isn't able to break the sound barrier. However in 1956 a test pilot flying an F-11F put his plane in a dive shooting the cannon and ended up flying fast enough to catch up and fly into the bullets he shot moments earlier. The plane went down, but the pilot did survive.
The brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt from that gun is just the most beautiful or horrific sound you'll hear(depending on which side you're on) there's a quote that goes: if you hear the brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt from that gun, it wasn't meant for you"
If you look carefully, you'll see the red streamers hanging off the bombs. Each of those is a pin holding a safety device in place until the bomb is loaded on the plane. Until the pins are removed, the bomb isn't armed.
As a former forward observer, I had the honor of calling these guys in on a target. 2 second pass. Nothing but churned earth and scrap metal. And they want to get rid of it. It's a flying tank. High survival rate in close quarters combat.
I love the Warthog for that very reason. I find things that are built to perform regardless of how they look beautiful. No the Warthog doesn't look sexy but its beauty is in its function.
To those of us on the ground that it was protecting, it looked more beautiful than the Homecoming Queen on prom night. Truly a beautiful sight if the SHTF in a combat action.
You wanna know what it's like being on the wrong end of this devastating gun? Your in luck! Type in "A10 Close call" it's about 45 second vid, when our A10 pilot shot a little close to our British allies which had helmet mounted go pros. You can see and hear the rounds on impact and only after hear the fierce ROAR of this beast! Warning... strong language for the kiddos. Love the vids, keep them coming.
Speaking as a U.S. Army vet I LOVE this plane. I feel that at this time we do not have a plane that has the same capabilities that the A-10 has. have seen it fly at basically tree top level and support us troops on the ground. I think it would be a gross miscarriage of justice to retire this plane when we have NOTHING else that can do the same job as well as the A-10.
Fun fact, when the A-10 was doing its trials, they had to put a 3 second limiter on the firing mechanism because the recoil would slow the plane enough it would stall while in its dive.
My nephew is a Air Force pilot he has a friend that flys the warthog. He was one of many pilots who signed a petition to keep the warthog how many more years it has is unknown but the planes are tough and a pilots survivability remains high in this jet
They used to h 3 fake dog fights in our farm valley, and my dad who's retired Air Force used to come out with me and my brother and watch them all the time
A fighter pilot once said during an interview that "you know it's time to eject when you're fear of staying with the plane is greater than your fear of ejecting."
The red flags that hang under or on the side of ordinance can only be active by pilot when doing his preflight inspection. They have to pull the red flags to arm what they are carrying.
Retired US Army here, I was stationed at Ft Sill, Oklahoma from 1991-1993. Each year there would be a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise ( CALFEX ) held to demonstrate and showcase anything and everything just short of nuclear weapons. When the A-10s did their runs, you could actually notice the planes slowing down because of the recoil of the GAU-8 Avenger Rotary Autocannon. A-10s need just enough altitude so that they can dive to gain back the speed that was lost.
I served in the United States Air Force for 30 years. I was not an aviator but an engineer, nonetheless, I had numerous opportunities to fly, from hot air balloons to sailplanes, light aircraft, air refuelers, cargo aircraft and jet trainers. I don't think it's possible to explain to people who haven't been exposed to what it's like for pilots, and in particular, pilots of high performance aircraft have to endure. They are as close to being superhuman as it gets. I have the greatest respect for all pilots, and fighter pilots above all. Who of us can imagine strapping themselves into multiple tons of steel and fuel design to kill them--and only through skill and determination they are able to control the aircraft, and even perform their missions. The Air Force hymn is appropriately titled "Lord Guide and Guard the Men Who Fly," and I pray for them every day.
You should check out the fat electrician video of "American KC 135 pilot trolls Russia" video about the plane that does the refueling in air. The video " 450 men vs. Imperial Japanese Navy". " A1 sky raider trolls enemy with toilet" and my favorite " infamous eager beavers and the custom B17 bomber called old 666". The old 666 story I think has his S.T.E.A.L. quote in it.
Strategically transfer equipment to another location is one thing i will never forget. and i quote from the old 666 crew the machine guns are always loaded.
BRRRRRRRRT! Also, they dont call it a warthog just because its ugly, but also because its stupidly tough and generally seen as a stupid move to piss one off
The shark mouth was passed down from the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) of China. But some others carry new mouth designs on some of them. I believe the shark mouth out with the 23rd Wing located at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. The Wing also has other multiple other Aircraft included with them from F-15s, B-52s, F-16s , and a tanker force with them.
I live in Central Missouri. About an hour away from whiteman Air Force base. They fly over us all the time.Just a few hundred feet off the ground. You can even see the pilots most of the time. One of my best friends daughter Is in the Air Force and loaded the ordinance for the A10. She took us on a special tour. My son, Which was about 10 years old at the time he had a blast.
My job sometimes takes me by there when I leave Windsor heading to Carrollton I always go that way, occasionally I get to see 1 or 2 of them in flight.
They were for ground support. They weren't designed to fly fast but to attack and defend the boots-on-the-ground. One of the most famous pilots of the A-10 was a female pilot dubbed, "KC" for Killer Chick. She did a lot of damage during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was able to bring her battle damaged A-10 back and her without a scratch.
They once tried to arm the Sr 71 with a machine gun. The plane flew through the bullets and tore up the nose. No one ever tried to arm it again after that.
Fun fact. The 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon actually produces enough recoil force that it will slow down the A-10 a few MPH in level flight when it's fired. The recoil force is actually greater (10,000 pounds/force or 45kN) than the thrust of one of the A-10's TF34 engines (9,065pounds/force or 40.3kN).
I remember seeing a demonstration of the new planes of the Maryland National Guard at Martin State when I was around 12 around 1977. They were awesome planes then and are still awesome..probably the best purpose built tank killing and close ground support aircraft ever imo.
I think you'd love going to an air & space museum or another museum that shows airplanes through the decades. Some have exhibits like the cockpit of a jet fighter & you can sit in it. If you do get to visit the States, see if there are any such museums near your destination.
They tried to retire these planes, but there was a big fight to keep them and so they still wreck the enemy. One of my favorite planes also. It's a beast
Every year, the Air Force tries to get rid of these important planes because they are not sexy. Every year they get shut down by Congress asking, “do you have something that performs better?” And they don’t
A plane actually CAN outfly it's bullets and run into them, and it HAS happened, although it's very rare. Bullets slow down and the plane doesn't, so given enough time it can catch up to them. The most famous example was a Grumman F-11 Tiger in the late 1950s. The pilot took it up for a test flight after it had had extensive work done on it. He climbed to 30,000ft over the sea then started his tests. One test point was "guns", so he fired a quck burst. The next test point was "dive speed", so he put the nose down and dived, without changing course. A few seconds later he heard "chock, chock , chock" sounds and felt impacts on the plane. His cannon shells had followed an arcing path through the sky as their speed dropped off, and by diving and accelerating, he'd "cut the corner", caught up with them and flown through them. Had the shells been the explosive ones used in wartime, he'd have been dead instantly. However, because this was a peactime test flight, the shells were solid practice rounds, so they "only" punched half a dozen 20mm holes in his plane. The TIger was still flyable, so he tried to get it back to base and _nearly_ made it. However it was leaking fuel badly from several of the holes and it finally ran out just before he got to the runway, so he had to eject and the plane crashed. He was unhurt, although he had to spend the rest of his career dealing with the teasing that came from being "the fighter pilot who shot himself down"...😁😈
It has been claimed that, if the pilot stays "on the trigger" for too much time, he can reduce air speed enough to "stall" the airplane BUT, that's not even remotely possible. NOT because the gun can't do that, it can. It's just that the entire load of rounds would be gone before the speed would get to that point. It does significantly slow the plane down.
My dad was an A-7 pilot. (The predecessor to the warthog) and he actually quit the Air Force after the A-10 was introduced because it actually goes very slow compared to most planes. He didnt feel safe flying it because of it's speed.
Technology that isn't discussed is some of the fuel tanks on ground units are sacks of fuel that you can stick your hand in and it will form around your hand. Self healing technology. The fuel tank can take 14 rounds in the exact spot and only suffer a minor leak still being functional. The push was to move away from fuel tanks made of metal that can cause sparks. Someone that lives near factories that builds military equipment they have some cool equipment. They even make bombs that are similar to flash bangs but what it does is it can suck all the air out of an entire building leaving the enemy on the floor blacked out. You should check out the JLTV and MRAP vehicles that are new to replacing the old Humvees. They are crazy sick looking. I want to buy one so bad.
The A-10 is not built for dogfighting, as it is not fast enough. It was designed and built to support troops on the ground. The flares that you saw dropped from the plane are actually "countermeasures " designed to attract missiles fired instead of hitting the plane.
To address mum Graham’s thoughts about a military jet shooting bullets and running into them watch the CZcams video on the SR 71 blackbird… the SR 71 blackbird flies so fast that it would run into its own bullets if it had a gun. And if you wanna see what happens when you drop an actually fire missile on the ground as you’re trying to load the ordinance, look up the USS Forrestal aircraft carrier. It did just that and the deck was on fire for quite a long time. That’s how it got its name as the USS forest fire.
When I was in the US Air Force the A-10 was the favorite of the ground fighter. When you heard it coming in for a strike you knew you were about to be saved. The cannon going off was the sound of freedom. The painting on the nose the teeth are those of a warthog as you can see by the large canine teeth.
Love seeing your family in videos. Just makes it all the better when everyone enjoys doing this together! The A-10 has always been my favorite plane made in my lifetime (I turn 56 this year. 😲How did that happen?) just because it was so very different and had a mission profile that made me think of the WWII aircraft I loved learning about: no matter the situation, they're capable of mixing in the mess. 😀
I live within the flight pattern of these absolutely unmistakable planes. LOVE THEM! If the pilots see me in time when I'm in my yard they will wing tip me. Cool as hell in my opinion.
The A10 Thunderbolts roots go back to WW2 and the P 47 Thunderbolt armed with 8 fifty caliber machine guns. It was an outstanding airplane at destroying ground targets among other attributes
As an infantry veteran, the Warthog is our battle buddy in the sky. When s#it hits the fan and you need that hard target deleted, there’s no better sound then “Berrrrrrrrrrrt”
Those were indeed flares you saw at the end of the video. The pilots set them off after refuling as a thank you to the airplane that refueled them. The A-10 bullets travel faster than the speed of sound. So you are correct. "If you hear the A-10 firing, it wasn't aiming at you."
So a couple of fun facts, the avenger cannon when taken from the plane from maintenance is so heavy, they have to support the tail. If you had unlimited round and just pulled the trigger it would actual slow down the plane to a stop in mid air.
There is another video called “Grunts in the sky | A-10 Warthog leaked footage” that I really recommend that is all about the A-10 and how it contributes to the battle field.
Yes they have ejection seats but she said in an interview "that she wasnt going to eject over bagdad to be taken a prisoner" because she knew how she would have been treated being a woman.
They may enjoy watching a video of the US Navy’s Blue Angels view from the cockpit. Your son mentioned how close they flew together, he’ll go ballistic.
The GAU-8 can be aimed by raw eyesight and fired in short bursts. The other hardpoints, in case of electrical problems, can still drop unguided bomb along the flight path. The plane carries flares and chaff as countermeasures. Flares are fired off after refueling as they peel off.
Also that plane the rule of thumb if you heard it you are already dead. Glide into target with little to no sound. Only hear it when they fire guns or thruster up to climb after strife run.
even tinting on a glass, can still be a rainbow.. It is an amazing plane!! I am surprised this video did not mention how one engine can be blown off/ not work and it still can fly.
The visor there to protect their eyes from the sun. Think of something like sunglasses plus the visor has information on the screen when you put it on. The helmet alone serves multiple purposes for the pilot/plane
A lot of airline pilots are former military pilots. They have many hours flying and the calm needed to deal with problems as they arise. My late friend served during Desert Storm and told us how when the troops saw a Warthog fly over they smiled and when they heard its guns they got a renewed vigor to fight.
I was canoeing and a Warthog flew over me at tree top level, following the river. The Pilot and I waved to each other. The things they drop, like flares, are very hot. They are for attracting heat seeking missiles, so they don't hit the plane.
When the A-10 was designed the air force said here is the gun we want used now build an airplane around it and make it easier to repair while in a combat zone. The gun and ammunition Barrel are bigger than a Volkswagen Beetle.
The Air National Guard 188 Wing out of Little Rock Arkansas A10’s had the Razorback “face” painted on their nose. The Razorback being the mascot of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. There are pictures online.
If you hear the a-10 coming it’s too late, there is no air frame that has come close to the level of the close air support the a-10 supplies. Fucking love this plane even if it’s old as hell. And I guarantee anyone that has ever called in an a-10 will tell you they have never heard a better sound in the distance.
I used to demill the depleted uranium rounds, these rounds will cut through any modern tank. They used to call them spaghetti because they pulled humans through the holes like spaghetti
They use special lifts to hoist the bombs into position underneath the aircraft then airmen secure them into place. Each bomb weights from 500 lbs (226.79 kg) to 2,000 lbs (907.184 kg)
There was an incident in 1956 were a test pilot, flying an F-11F fighter jet, managed to fire his plane's guns then fly in front of the bullets and shoot his own plane, on accident obviously.
It has been said.... If you HEAR the A-10's gatling gun fire , you were NOT the target.
My three Marine nephews said: "When we finally heard the thrum of the Warthogs and/or the thumps of the Apaches, we knew we were gonna be all right!"
You knew the 10 was overhead when. You caught the whine of it's engine. It's amazing how fast the people shooting at you wanted to stop and hide 🤣
As a former U.S. Marine Infantryman, I can tell you that ground troops absolutely LOVE the A-10's and their pilots. Their job is to keep us "ground pounders" safe and we (almost always) treat them with great respect. Also, if you like this video about the A-10, look at the video The Fat Electrician did about it. He gives you some of the history about it and does it in a very humorous way. However, watch it before your kids as he sometimes uses some 'colorful' language (haha!). It is very funny, though.
In 1978 I was hired by Fairchild Republic to build the A-10. When the company showed me the film of what this aircraft could do, they hooked me, being only 18 YOA. I was amazed that I could work on this legendary aircraft. My job was to put the aft hydraulic system in and the right and left troughs hydraulic system. The work I did on this aircraft with all other workers made me very proud to help our Country and its Military.
look up a-10 pilot "killer chick" , the pilot who flew the battle damaged a-10 back from Bagdad
Yes, she is my Nephews wife, both were A-10 pilots, now retired. Colonel Scott "Soup" Campbell and Colonel Kim "Killer Chick" Campbell. Thanks for suggesting these folks check out her story.
@@CarlD70 ... She's super nice. I think it was on Ward Carrols channel (he was an F-14 RIO in the Navy) where he did an interview with her. I asked a question in the comments and she was nice enough to answer my question. That's kind of rare on youtube. She was a cool professional.
Black Rifle Coffee Company did an interview and video about her.
The 30mm GAU-8 dual-hydraulic (fed & led) Gatling gun was manufactured first, and then the US Air Force said: "Can you make it fly?!"
That’s how the Air Force builds their bases. They build the golf course first and then ask for additional funding to build the base. 😂😂😂
@@brucew7062 I know all across America, military bases and prisons are built in or near towns and cities to provide jobs and additional income to places that need financial boosting, but what you said definitely got hearty chuckles from me! 😜 😂
@@Billy-zv6gv many of our Marine Corps Bases and Air Stations are built in more isolated low population density areas strictly for training purposes. Most of the local towns absolutely rely on the base to keep the town viable. Some exceptions are Miramar (San Diego) CA and Hawaii (land is pretty scarce there anyways). We say the Marine Corps builds a base and later thinks about getting funding for recreational things whereas the Air Force does it the other way around. The Army does a good job of getting enough funding to build the base and the recreational things at the same time. The Navy can be hit or miss on land bases and ships are what they are as any recreational space is limited to maybe a gym, a library, and some small lounge areas within the berthing spaces.
@@brucew7062 Excellent details! A lot of Americans firmly believe we should relocate military bases all along the borders, starting with Mexico, with Navy bases farther South of San Diego and Houston, TX, with Army, Marines, and Air Force bases in between to increase National Security, but with so few and little towns on the borders, in practice versus theory, it wouldn't be possible financially.
@@brucew7062 Btw, I didn't mean to imply that every one of our military bases are in populated areas, because I know about training areas, especially 29 Palms USMC base out in Southern California deserts to train Marines in desert warfare for the Middle East, including retired shipping containers arranged to resemble Arabic housing and buildings for close urban combat training. Whilest the town of 29 Palms is just a near-hamlet.
LOL 😂 I like how he homes in on the writing Deez nuts. We like writing messages on our bombs we drop.
hone in on
The A-10 Thunderbolt ll (Worthog) & F-14 Tomcat are absolutely awesome machines💪🤘
My 2 fav planes growing up as well!
WOW. You actually called it the A10 thunderbolt 2. Do you know why? It's called the thunder bolt 2.? William s
@@williamshepherd1531 Because of the p47 thunderbolt surely
The A-10 has saved so many lives on the ground, I agree it is one of the most awesome aircraft of all time.
To answer the question, the A-10 is not fast enough to catch up to its bullets, and also isn't able to break the sound barrier. However in 1956 a test pilot flying an F-11F put his plane in a dive shooting the cannon and ended up flying fast enough to catch up and fly into the bullets he shot moments earlier. The plane went down, but the pilot did survive.
The brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt from that gun is just the most beautiful or horrific sound you'll hear(depending on which side you're on) there's a quote that goes: if you hear the brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt from that gun, it wasn't meant for you"
If you look carefully, you'll see the red streamers hanging off the bombs. Each of those is a pin holding a safety device in place until the bomb is loaded on the plane. Until the pins are removed, the bomb isn't armed.
As a former forward observer, I had the honor of calling these guys in on a target. 2 second pass. Nothing but churned earth and scrap metal. And they want to get rid of it. It's a flying tank. High survival rate in close quarters combat.
I love the Warthog for that very reason.
I find things that are built to perform regardless of how they look beautiful.
No the Warthog doesn't look sexy but its beauty is in its function.
To those of us on the ground that it was protecting, it looked more beautiful than the Homecoming Queen on prom night. Truly a beautiful sight if the SHTF in a combat action.
You wanna know what it's like being on the wrong end of this devastating gun? Your in luck! Type in "A10 Close call" it's about 45 second vid, when our A10 pilot shot a little close to our British allies which had helmet mounted go pros. You can see and hear the rounds on impact and only after hear the fierce ROAR of this beast! Warning... strong language for the kiddos. Love the vids, keep them coming.
Speaking as a U.S. Army vet I LOVE this plane. I feel that at this time we do not have a plane that has the same capabilities that the A-10 has. have seen it fly at basically tree top level and support us troops on the ground. I think it would be a gross miscarriage of justice to retire this plane when we have NOTHING else that can do the same job as well as the A-10.
Fun fact, when the A-10 was doing its trials, they had to put a 3 second limiter on the firing mechanism because the recoil would slow the plane enough it would stall while in its dive.
My nephew is a Air Force pilot he has a friend that flys the warthog. He was one of many pilots who signed a petition to keep the warthog how many more years it has is unknown but the planes are tough and a pilots survivability remains high in this jet
I heard this somewhere and find it very fitting:
"It's the ugliest beautiful plane!"
They used to h 3 fake dog fights in our farm valley, and my dad who's retired Air Force used to come out with me and my brother and watch them all the time
A fighter pilot once said during an interview that "you know it's time to eject when you're fear of staying with the plane is greater than your fear of ejecting."
The red flags that hang under or on the side of ordinance can only be active by pilot when doing his preflight inspection. They have to pull the red flags to arm what they are carrying.
Retired US Army here, I was stationed at Ft Sill, Oklahoma from 1991-1993. Each year there would be a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise ( CALFEX ) held to demonstrate and showcase anything and everything just short of nuclear weapons. When the A-10s did their runs, you could actually notice the planes slowing down because of the recoil of the GAU-8 Avenger Rotary Autocannon. A-10s need just enough altitude so that they can dive to gain back the speed that was lost.
I served in the United States Air Force for 30 years. I was not an aviator but an engineer, nonetheless, I had numerous opportunities to fly, from hot air balloons to sailplanes, light aircraft, air refuelers, cargo aircraft and jet trainers. I don't think it's possible to explain to people who haven't been exposed to what it's like for pilots, and in particular, pilots of high performance aircraft have to endure. They are as close to being superhuman as it gets. I have the greatest respect for all pilots, and fighter pilots above all. Who of us can imagine strapping themselves into multiple tons of steel and fuel design to kill them--and only through skill and determination they are able to control the aircraft, and even perform their missions. The Air Force hymn is appropriately titled "Lord Guide and Guard the Men Who Fly," and I pray for them every day.
You should check out the fat electrician video of "American KC 135 pilot trolls Russia" video about the plane that does the refueling in air. The video " 450 men vs. Imperial Japanese Navy". " A1 sky raider trolls enemy with toilet" and my favorite " infamous eager beavers and the custom B17 bomber called old 666". The old 666 story I think has his S.T.E.A.L. quote in it.
Strategically transfer equipment to another location is one thing i will never forget. and i quote from the old 666 crew the machine guns are always loaded.
Drove past a static display A-10 twice a day at work ;-) takes 4 years and 5 million dollars to train a military pilot.
BRRRRRRRRT!
Also, they dont call it a warthog just because its ugly, but also because its stupidly tough and generally seen as a stupid move to piss one off
The shark mouth was passed down from the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) of China. But some others carry new mouth designs on some of them. I believe the shark mouth out with the 23rd Wing located at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. The Wing also has other multiple other Aircraft included with them from F-15s, B-52s, F-16s , and a tanker force with them.
6:55 Mark! Aha! She's who I was thinking of! Look! No "balls"! 😅
I live in Central Missouri.
About an hour away from whiteman Air Force base. They fly over us all the time.Just a few hundred feet off the ground. You can even see the pilots most of the time. One of my best friends daughter Is in the Air Force and loaded the ordinance for the A10. She took us on a special tour.
My son, Which was about 10 years old at the time he had a blast.
My job sometimes takes me by there when I leave Windsor heading to Carrollton I always go that way, occasionally I get to see 1 or 2 of them in flight.
They were for ground support. They weren't designed to fly fast but to attack and defend the boots-on-the-ground. One of the most famous pilots of the A-10 was a female pilot dubbed, "KC" for Killer Chick. She did a lot of damage during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was able to bring her battle damaged A-10 back and her without a scratch.
Kim Campbell.
Kim Campbell's A10 is now at Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro North Carolina on display
i think it's cute how the pilots of those planes paint them. it's like a man polishing his car. each pilot loves their craft
An A-10 pilot told me the gun was made to land a bullet every inch to cut a tank in half.
They once tried to arm the Sr 71 with a machine gun. The plane flew through the bullets and tore up the nose. No one ever tried to arm it again after that.
Fun fact. The 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon actually produces enough recoil force that it will slow down the A-10 a few MPH in level flight when it's fired. The recoil force is actually greater (10,000 pounds/force or 45kN) than the thrust of one of the A-10's TF34 engines (9,065pounds/force or 40.3kN).
"Put a nickel on the grass". Can fly with half a wing or an engine missing, sounds like a blow dryer, runs ammo through a tank. f'ing awesome.
I remember seeing a demonstration of the new planes of the Maryland National Guard at Martin State when I was around 12 around 1977. They were awesome planes then and are still awesome..probably the best purpose built tank killing and close ground support aircraft ever imo.
The A-10 has probably saved more ground troops than any other plane in history.
I think you'd love going to an air & space museum or another museum that shows airplanes through the decades. Some have exhibits like the cockpit of a jet fighter & you can sit in it. If you do get to visit the States, see if there are any such museums near your destination.
They tried to retire these planes, but there was a big fight to keep them and so they still wreck the enemy. One of my favorite planes also. It's a beast
Every year, the Air Force tries to get rid of these important planes because they are not sexy. Every year they get shut down by Congress asking, “do you have something that performs better?” And they don’t
Mom has a great point! Some fighters CAN outfly their gun's projectiles. But not the A10. No worries!
You guys have a great channel. Thats why I subbed. Keep up with the great work. Love the family
14:08 no, that is the F-35, tho they can use it to know what bombs and missles to use and choose with the helmet. The helmet also has night vision.
A plane actually CAN outfly it's bullets and run into them, and it HAS happened, although it's very rare. Bullets slow down and the plane doesn't, so given enough time it can catch up to them.
The most famous example was a Grumman F-11 Tiger in the late 1950s. The pilot took it up for a test flight after it had had extensive work done on it. He climbed to 30,000ft over the sea then started his tests. One test point was "guns", so he fired a quck burst. The next test point was "dive speed", so he put the nose down and dived, without changing course. A few seconds later he heard "chock, chock , chock" sounds and felt impacts on the plane. His cannon shells had followed an arcing path through the sky as their speed dropped off, and by diving and accelerating, he'd "cut the corner", caught up with them and flown through them. Had the shells been the explosive ones used in wartime, he'd have been dead instantly. However, because this was a peactime test flight, the shells were solid practice rounds, so they "only" punched half a dozen 20mm holes in his plane.
The TIger was still flyable, so he tried to get it back to base and _nearly_ made it. However it was leaking fuel badly from several of the holes and it finally ran out just before he got to the runway, so he had to eject and the plane crashed. He was unhurt, although he had to spend the rest of his career dealing with the teasing that came from being "the fighter pilot who shot himself down"...😁😈
It has been claimed that, if the pilot stays "on the trigger" for too much time, he can reduce air speed enough to "stall" the airplane BUT, that's not even remotely possible. NOT because the gun can't do that, it can. It's just that the entire load of rounds would be gone before the speed would get to that point. It does significantly slow the plane down.
That and the barrels would melt. But yeah, they only carry around a thousand rounds or so.
My dad was an A-7 pilot. (The predecessor to the warthog) and he actually quit the Air Force after the A-10 was introduced because it actually goes very slow compared to most planes. He didnt feel safe flying it because of it's speed.
6:47 lol the look on the guys faces when they realize that she has bigger ballz than you🤣🤷♀
Technology that isn't discussed is some of the fuel tanks on ground units are sacks of fuel that you can stick your hand in and it will form around your hand. Self healing technology. The fuel tank can take 14 rounds in the exact spot and only suffer a minor leak still being functional. The push was to move away from fuel tanks made of metal that can cause sparks. Someone that lives near factories that builds military equipment they have some cool equipment. They even make bombs that are similar to flash bangs but what it does is it can suck all the air out of an entire building leaving the enemy on the floor blacked out. You should check out the JLTV and MRAP vehicles that are new to replacing the old Humvees. They are crazy sick looking. I want to buy one so bad.
I've heard a lot about MRAP vehicles, but the rest of what you said is new to me, and hella brilliant, so I thank you for the info!
I knew about MRAP vehicles, but the rest of what you said is new to me, and hella brilliant, so I thank you for all the info!
7:44 the A-10 has like triple redundancy, can "self heal" by using a sealing foam and the pilot is protected by a titanium "bathtub"
The A-10 is not built for dogfighting, as it is not fast enough. It was designed and built to support troops on the ground. The flares that you saw dropped from the plane are actually "countermeasures " designed to attract missiles fired instead of hitting the plane.
Just a side note...
The A-10 was designed around the gun. A gun the size of a car designed by a manufacturer that makes home appliances.
With their AK-47's they are all "pew pew". So I was like, "B-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-T"
that DEEZ NUTS on that cluster bomb is 100% accurate 🤣
Want to know what it's like to ride? Look at the Thunderbirds ride-along videos. Amazing.
To address mum Graham’s thoughts about a military jet shooting bullets and running into them watch the CZcams video on the SR 71 blackbird… the SR 71 blackbird flies so fast that it would run into its own bullets if it had a gun. And if you wanna see what happens when you drop an actually fire missile on the ground as you’re trying to load the ordinance, look up the USS Forrestal aircraft carrier. It did just that and the deck was on fire for quite a long time. That’s how it got its name as the USS forest fire.
When I was in the US Air Force the A-10 was the favorite of the ground fighter. When you heard it coming in for a strike you knew you were about to be saved. The cannon going off was the sound of freedom. The painting on the nose the teeth are those of a warthog as you can see by the large canine teeth.
Love seeing your family in videos. Just makes it all the better when everyone enjoys doing this together!
The A-10 has always been my favorite plane made in my lifetime (I turn 56 this year. 😲How did that happen?) just because it was so very different and had a mission profile that made me think of the WWII aircraft I loved learning about: no matter the situation, they're capable of mixing in the mess. 😀
I live within the flight pattern of these absolutely unmistakable planes. LOVE THEM! If the pilots see me in time when I'm in my yard they will wing tip me. Cool as hell in my opinion.
The A10 Thunderbolts roots go back to WW2 and the P 47 Thunderbolt armed with 8 fifty caliber machine guns. It was an outstanding airplane at destroying ground targets among other attributes
As an infantry veteran, the Warthog is our battle buddy in the sky. When s#it hits the fan and you need that hard target deleted, there’s no better sound then “Berrrrrrrrrrrt”
Those were indeed flares you saw at the end of the video. The pilots set them off after refuling as a thank you to the airplane that refueled them.
The A-10 bullets travel faster than the speed of sound. So you are correct. "If you hear the A-10 firing, it wasn't aiming at you."
The "oooo the rainbow" had be laughing 😂 keep up the vids
most airline pilots used to be military pilots. that is why they seem so calm.
That gun sounds like me after Taco Bell, or anything spicy..lol
😆
So a couple of fun facts, the avenger cannon when taken from the plane from maintenance is so heavy, they have to support the tail. If you had unlimited round and just pulled the trigger it would actual slow down the plane to a stop in mid air.
I just came across y'all's channel, and I really love your family dynamic. It's a breath fresh air!
As a ground Solider I have always referred to the HOG as An Angel over my shoulder
They are calm because of hundreds of hours of practice for every situation .
They say an A-10 is essentially a gun with a plane built around it. Also know as the “Brrrrrt.”
That picture of the face. Of the thunderbolt 2. Ben.on every one of my smartphone wallpaper. Even this 1. William s
I want the BBBBRRRRRAAPPPP as a ring tone!!!!
There is another video called “Grunts in the sky | A-10 Warthog leaked footage” that I really recommend that is all about the A-10 and how it contributes to the battle field.
They actually made a single 2 seater A10 for test purposes. It's in a museum at Edwards AFB in California.
The sound it makes when shooting the gun they say sound like a warthog grunting
Yes they have ejection seats but she said in an interview "that she wasnt going to eject over bagdad to be taken a prisoner" because she knew how she would have been treated being a woman.
They may enjoy watching a video of the US Navy’s Blue Angels view from the cockpit. Your son mentioned how close they flew together, he’ll go ballistic.
You.re whole family is awesome I love to watch all of you get together and watch these video's.
The GAU-8 can be aimed by raw eyesight and fired in short bursts. The other hardpoints, in case of electrical problems, can still drop unguided bomb along the flight path.
The plane carries flares and chaff as countermeasures. Flares are fired off after refueling as they peel off.
Also that plane the rule of thumb if you heard it you are already dead. Glide into target with little to no sound. Only hear it when they fire guns or thruster up to climb after strife run.
I think they are beautiful. Always loved those jets.
Great video. Thank you. You should show them a video of the Blue Angels air shows.
even tinting on a glass, can still be a rainbow.. It is an amazing plane!! I am surprised this video did not mention how one engine can be blown off/ not work and it still can fly.
The visor there to protect their eyes from the sun. Think of something like sunglasses plus the visor has information on the screen when you put it on. The helmet alone serves multiple purposes for the pilot/plane
Former Air Force here..was munitions systems for the A-10, absolutely amazing machine
The A-10 has saved my Life lives of my Battle Buddies one Day !
If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here today !
A lot of airline pilots are former military pilots. They have many hours flying and the calm needed to deal with problems as they arise.
My late friend served during Desert Storm and told us how when the troops saw a Warthog fly over they smiled and when they heard its guns they got a renewed vigor to fight.
I can confirm that information. She was a truly beautiful sight to behold.
I was canoeing and a Warthog flew over me at tree top level, following the river. The Pilot and I waved to each other. The things they drop, like flares, are very hot. They are for attracting heat seeking missiles, so they don't hit the plane.
Nice reactions. A-10 has been called a flying tank. Probably one of the best if not best ground suport plane.
The A-10 shoots armor piercing depleted uranium bullets the size of beer bottles.
Well not quite beer bottles (1.2 inches) but still big enough to leave a hole that big.
When the A-10 was designed the air force said here is the gun we want used now build an airplane around it and make it easier to repair while in a combat zone. The gun and ammunition Barrel are bigger than a Volkswagen Beetle.
For perspective, the GAU-8 "Avenger" 30mm rotary cannon is slightly larger than a Volkswagen Beetle.
The Air National Guard 188 Wing out of Little Rock Arkansas A10’s had the Razorback “face” painted on their nose. The Razorback being the mascot of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. There are pictures online.
If you hear the a-10 coming it’s too late, there is no air frame that has come close to the level of the close air support the a-10 supplies. Fucking love this plane even if it’s old as hell. And I guarantee anyone that has ever called in an a-10 will tell you they have never heard a better sound in the distance.
I used to demill the depleted uranium rounds, these rounds will cut through any modern tank. They used to call them spaghetti because they pulled humans through the holes like spaghetti
if you ever see the A-10s with the snake painted on the nose, those are the Black Snakes Squadron from my home state of Indiana, up in Fort Wayne.
I seen these bad boy's fly all the time when i was little they are based over here in Tucson, Arizona at Davis Mountain Air Force Base.
Youre right. Is the slowest plane ever. Thats why its so heavily armored
They use special lifts to hoist the bombs into position underneath the aircraft then airmen secure them into place. Each bomb weights from 500 lbs (226.79 kg) to 2,000 lbs (907.184 kg)
You should check out the Blue Angels - unbelievable pilots and plane maneuvers.
There was an incident in 1956 were a test pilot, flying an F-11F fighter jet, managed to fire his plane's guns then fly in front of the bullets and shoot his own plane, on accident obviously.
Check out the future Super A-10 Warthog brand new planes with upgrades!