Why are we so obsessed with the A-10 Thunderbolt?
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 1. 09. 2019
- There's a lot of love out there for this tough old bird. he A-10's large, unswept high-aspect ratio wing and large ailerons give it excellent low-speed, low-altitude maneuverability. Those General Electric TF-34-GE-100 engines produce 9000 pounds of thrust each. The A-10's cockpit and portions of its flight control system are protected by 1,200 pounds of titanium aircraft armor, called the "bathtub." The bathtub can withstand direct hits from armor-piercing projectiles up 23 mm. he Gatling gun hoses shells at a rate of 3900 rounds per minute. It represents about 16 percent of the aircraft's weight. The A-10 has seen in action in every major U.S. conflict since and approximately 350 remain in service.
By the early 2000s, no one could argue about the A-10's effectiveness. And in the decades since the first production A-10A was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in October 1975, the simple aircraft has gotten smarter.
How little things change. Forty years later, some Air Force leaders still see the A-10 as too rudimentary for the battlefield of the future, preferring in this case the supposedly do-it-all F-35.
We all love it. But why??....
Hope you enjoy!!
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âïž (DISCLAIMER: This video is for informative and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinion come from personal experience and not that of others or other organizations. This content and information is there to provide information from public accessible sources.) - VÄda a technologie
I love this aircraft and the "BRRRRRTTTT" will always be imprinted in my head hearing it on operational tour. But what do you think of it? I want to hear your own opinion. Do you love it? Hate it? Let me know! Hope you all have a great day! Thanks for watching!!!
Restart A-10 production I say! At minimum start making spare parts for it!
A10 or AH-64 đ€€
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT
The lovely plane
I can only imagine that dragon flying overhead and ripping enemies to shreds.
Why do we love the A-10? Lets break it down:
1) Gun is big and this is America
@Steve Campbell the only reason for building this plane is a BIG gun
Some guy: Hey guys I have this really big gun, what can we do with it?
The AF: let's put wings on it.
The us gov.: do you really think that'll work?
Answer: BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!!!.....
Gov: "We've got this big ass gun, what are we to do?"
Fairchild: "Merica."
AC-130: *Am I joke to you?*
*Sad 105mm shell noise*
That plane was built around the gun
engineer: we made this 30mm gatling gun
commander: make it fly
Engineer: "m-make it fly?"
Commander:" DID I FUCKING STUTTER?"
"Make it fly".....lol,,,,funny fucker!
ok-k-kay, t-the design is done.
*After one mission*
I DID THAT IDIOTS! THATS. MY. PLANE!
Ha! Nice
that is how monsters are made.
I was with the unit (the 23rd Fighter Wing "The Flying Tigers") that then Cpt Johnson flew with in Desert Storm. And let me tell you the hole in the right wing was large enough for a grown man to crawl through. In addition we had another A-10 return with an unexploded SAM lodged in the fuselage in between the engines. The warthog is so tough the pilot didn't even know it was back there until the ground crews told him when he returned to base. Of the many airframes I worked there is no aircraft in the world that is able to do it mission better.
MSgt J Davis, USAF, Retired
Thank you for your service sir.
I even heard that Apaches (or next-generation helos) could fill in the gaps that F35 Raptors won't be able to fill. Seriously? Never been a fan of choppers in a hot environment. Those two wings fixed to the side of the A-10 are major security plusses IMHO, along with the bathtub and the other bits. You guys in the US built the best post-WW2 close combat aircraft ever. I hope it stays around for a hell of a lot longer - it's going to be needed. Thanks for sharing! Regards from London UK.
@@travelbugse2829 It'll be needed till with come up with an A-102 thunderbolt III, a beefier tougher and better version of the a-10.
So...its built like a Russian plane LOL
(thanks for your service)
I was also with the 23rd fighter wing.i was in egress.
Other countries: Lets put a gun on this aircraft.
America: Lets put an aircraft around this gun.
đ
+ Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Amen đ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this FLAME."
In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ."
Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE." And please repent of all of your sins and be baptized by the Holy Spirit before it is too late, you will never know when the time will come đ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amen đ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Question: Why are we so obsessed with the A-10 Thunderbolt
Answer: Yes
Long answer: BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT
Strawberry Bleach any fighter jet can go BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT my guy
@@joeyduese6638 not really
Ariel Eliahu well almost all I guess
@@joeyduese6638 Name another aircraft the US uses that is equipped with the GAU-8, I'll wait, My guy
Not even almost, fighter jets use a m61 vulcan which has a 6k RPS, vs 3.9k RPS, they also use a 20Ă102 mm round compaired to the 30Ă173 mm- one makes a louder noise, and the pops aren't too closely spaced. the former sounds like a continuous explosion; the latter purrs.
The better question is why arenât more people obsessed with the A-10
Yes
For me it's an amazing aircraft,old but gold and darm good job hammering down enemy tanks and armed personal vehicle..
Could not have said it better
Yes
IÂŽm not obsessed. I can stop any time I want......
Once upon a time, when I was in Italy, we had an A-10 return with tree branches lodged in its landing gear. The pilot stated he flew low enough not to be seen
4 years in Germany, maybe a dozen A-10 inflight emergencies the whole time, the F-16âs a dozen a month easy. Went there loving them both, left loving the A-10.
Because in *BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*, we trust.
Ah yes
Beat me to the punch line :)
LOL!!! This comment should be on top!
It's the Chuck Norris of aircraft.
A10:
- Looks like a beast
- Sounds unreal
- Carries harder than any of us
- Dishes out ungodly
- Survivable like heck
- BRRRRRRRRRRRRT
Any more questions ?
Performed less CAS missions in Iraq and Afganistan than most other jets in the Air Force.
@@jordan9961 Sources?
@@MajorCaliber Can't find the table I was making that claim off of at the moment, but I did find some stuff on recent operations against ISIS, which I would call equivalent.
www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/7c23231ebb86303c33b51fd75705c16cf8ca6b4f/r=183&c=0-0-180-240/http/cdn.tegna-tv.com/-mm-/b9d58265bf8b20af4e4e1f49568658d638df973d/c=0-6-273-370/local/-/media/2016/04/28/DefenseNews/DefenseNews/635974371954133437-Air-Force-Miission-Against-ISIS.JPG
Long URL for a percentage break down of sorties flown and how many times they actually released munitions. You can see that the F-16, a fighter/interceptor never intended for a CAS role, is the predominate ground strike fighter, with the F-15 following. They sortie more and attack more targets on those sorties.
I'd call that the crux of the issue. In the modern world, an aircraft that is decades old and designed for a mission that no longer exists, and essentially that one mission, will be beat by multi-role aircraft. Sure, the A-10 can carry more bombs and has a big gun, but when most missions dont need all those bombs it can carry, or you cant get close enough to use the gun, usually because of the existence of any "modern" AA threat which the A-10 is hard pressed to defeat and survive, you're going to use the other aircraft you have stationed there. And these aircraft will always be there. It's like the P-47. A purpose designed long range escort that was all over the European theater and could be effectively used to attack ground targets.
yep he carry better than any epic gamer
@@jordan9961 their plan to phase it out could have heavily contributed to this. Especially as of recent. Also the USAF learned their lesson in Iraq and Afghanistan by sitting the A-10 out of many operations when other aircraft, mainly the F-16 weren't nearly as effective.
Love the A10 saved me and my squads ass in 2009 during OIF
"It's expensive to fix."
Well yeah, no shit, _it get's shot at._ Every other NATO aircraft either hangs out at a comfortable distance or absolutely outmatches who they're fighting. If we ever get in a war with someone competent you'll start seeing maintenance costs spike across the entire board.
A-10s are very easy to do maintenance on... and the same for any part replacements.
@@justachipn3039 Oh I'm aware, we had a reserve unit at my base who maintained them so I got to see some of that. Everything is bolts and screws and pull-through rivets, shit made me jelly with how easy it looked.
@@kyotra Yup... they couldn't build such a strong warrior today that doesn't need 3 hot's a day... same for the pilots !!!
YUP,,,,bullet holes and missile frag costs a lot to repair âŠ.
@@mohammadwasilliterate8037 lol N1... The Pilots will tell them to use duct tape and gas it up !!!
If super-sonic fighter jets like the f-15, f-22, su-35, rafale, etc. are like super models, then the a-10 is the tomboy next door that always has your back
Prefer them anyway...they are low maintenance, they are ready (for action) in minutes and they can take a beating (both physically and mentally, they don't need a defender either)...gotta love both, the plane and the tomboy-girls :)
@@dreamingflurry2729 Why are you beating tomboys and A-10's?
@@Thwack992 Beating up dat p@$$y :)
See a p@$$y is like Rocky. A good beating really gets it going :)
Holy edwin thats a bad ass jet
The girl that plays minecraft with you and is oddly attractive
They designed a jet airplane AROUND a rotory cannon for Christ's sake! What's not to love?
American Freedom-Fighter the planeâs the attachment
Correction: they designed a tank around a 30mm cannon that just so happens to fly.
They designed a flying brick shit house around a rotary cannon.
Ask around the air-force and you'll get some hardliners which despises the A-10 due to not its capabilities but its looks and sub performance as a fighter. Many in the Airforce are disgusted by the A-10's looks as its a bulky fighter bomber, its slow compared to other fighters in the inventory, its not sleek, its boxy and very basic for a jet fighter. Its not like a sleek looking F-16 the mighty Eagle, or a new stealth fighter. Many of those hardliners hate the fighter so much they've been on a crusade to sack the design since its introduction into the air-force. What keeps it in service is its capabilities as a ground support air-craft that's proven so reliable that the hardliners have to keep it around. Its proven so useful that suddenly sacking such a valuable fighter would be seen as truly stupid. So they've been waiting till a nicer looking one could replace the hog. When the F-35 came out they tried to push that it could replace the A-10 and yet the A-10 soldiers on due to its popularity with its pilots, and ground crews who adores the fighter bomber, and the troops the F-35B the marine variant turns out is pretty much meh it can do the job on paper but the moment it gets hit that fighter is in trouble, where the A-10 is physically a flying tank that it can physically lose chunks of itself, and still land and potentially be repaired.
@Reto Ware A grunt or soldier on the ground will basically tell you a A-10 is gods gift to allied soldiers. A pilot of the craft will tell you its a dream to fly and reliable. A pilot and or officer that never flew the A-10 but flown faster sleek fighter designs would likely laugh and taunt anyone who flew the craft or the craft itself. The A-10 will not get you laid, any pilot who flies it will tell you that, and sure as hell pilots who fly faster nicer craft will sure as hell tell you that and everyone else.. . (It will however insure you come back alive to make the attempt. ) If you go over the history of the A-10 its never been liked by some of the higher brass and more um cocky pilots and officers of the US Air force. Hell they hated it so much when it came up on the chopping block in 2015 cuts the US Army personally requested that if the air force retired the craft, could the US army pick them up due to the need of a ground support craft and cause they adore the hog. The Air-force brass willing to kill the A10 all but told them to fuck off on it they hated it so much. Thankfully someone with a brain convinced the rest to keep the old bird and as of 2019 its set to stay in the air-force till 2044 or past that.
Yes the airframe is VERY strong, yes the pilots deserve applause for being able to fly the damaged aircraft safely back to base, but please also give credit to the maintainers who repair and keep an old aircraft flying.
It's the easiest aircraft to do maintenance and part replacements... and engine change outs are no sweat.
JUSTACHIPN if you needed to do a Powerplant swap on the A-10 how long would it take? Just curious causeIâm an A&P mechanic and wish I had the opportunity to work on this bad boy.
@@neillenhart6838 There's only 2 A arms that bolt to the pylon... you can google everything now days how to's are a miracle... wish I had them growing up !!! Im a retired NAVY Carrier Vet... industrial AC&R + heavy metal fab Mechanic service tech my whole life. Have fun !!!
They need to keep making them.
Ah no
Us engineers dont need any shout out man
At least me and my friends feel that
We always glad to help you guys do "indirect combat" by repairing stuff
Trust me
Lmao
When I was in the army the A-10 was just coming out. We'd watch in awe as it fired on the firing range, making that buzz saw sound. Forgive me if I am wrong, but doesn't an A-10 cost considerably less to maintain than any fighter? I know it cost less to buy. If I had been president in 1980 I would have built 3,000 of these planes.
Haven't even watched the video yet, but I can answer the question.
"Why are we so obsessed with the A-10 Thunderbolt?"
Because its awesome.
I think the real answer is because 'BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT'
Was going to say the same thing lol
I was thinking the same thing (without having watched the video either) but in more detail: It is big, ugly, can take a beating, punches way above it weight ...the typical underdog - at least at first glance. I would call it "America's" plane.
Because, when youâre pinned down. The A10 flies in like the hand of God. And the GAU-8 is its middle finger.
Troy Fortsch; Elvis the smoking skeleton and Boingo both rule ...almost as much as God's middle finger which is the ultimate dead-man's party trick and reminds us all that "no one lives forever..."
And what a lovely middle finger it is
Analogy Perfection !!
+Troy Fortsch. that and they aren't hit & runners like some other jets, they'll stay overhead continue pounding enemy positions until they're out of gas or ammo.
AMEN BROTHER!!!
Everyone: you canât make a flying tank
A-10: Iâm going to end this mans whole career
Gray Ben Iâm going to BRRRRTTTTTT this mans whole career
Antonov A40: Finally,a worthy opponent
IL: First time?
Internet: let's storm area 51, they can't stop all of us
A10: (laughs in BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT)
Is it weird that I'd love to see whatever's left after an a10 did a run on an isis truck because I get the feeling the a10 turned isis into waswas
SakuraSabre Wait, what truck are you referring to- Ohh, you mean that smoldering pile of molten metal over there
I know it never happened but during the time before the "raid" i bet none of them realized that a hog could kill over half of the raiders
You mean the freedom yeeter?
* flying freedom yeeter
*Freedom Yeeting INTENSIFIES!*
đđđ
It yeets freedom at 1776 freedoms per eagle
Why?
Easy.
BRRRRRTTTT!!!!!
I mean it's a 30mm rotary cannon the size of a volkswagon beetle with a titanium bathtub, 2 jet engines, and some pylons strapped to it... who doesn't like it?
Joseph Harty jhonny taliban
The Fighter mafia.
US Airforce Fighter and Bomber Command staff.
Exactly. It's a Gatling gun with wings. Who doesn't like that?
Why?
Easy.
BRRRRRTTTT!!!!!
Children are scared of monsters
Terrorists are scared of 30mm gatling guns with wings
Is there a difference
@@onelastdawn9991 are we talking about columbine or isis
I was in the third armored cavalry when I was in the army, we were running M 60 tanks back then and I loved to see that warthog hanging over my shoulder! Brrrrrrrrrt Sounds like victory. I think they should keep it as long as they possibly can as long as it can continue to do the job. The cost of maintaining this aircraft surely must be cheaper than the cost of building a new one.
The a-10 costs about 6k per hour to fly. F-35? Nearly 30k. F-22? almost 35k per hour. The a-10 might be old but it's cheap as hell to fly and maintain.
LouSaydus keep them in the air ass long ass They are still able to fly and function!
The thing is, The A - 10 is a gun, but then the military came in and said "Make gun fly".
Yeah they literally designed the plane around the gun
if the A-10 must be replaced, then let it be replaced with a second-gen A-10, it's a monster in the sky and it's absolutely Iconic to the modern U.S Military
Better Idea: Just build more A-10s.
Your picture makes me hungry
Ryan McCallum well if the problem is that itâs becoming an outdated platform then the solution would be to make a better platform (preferably a new generation of A-10)
@@majestichotwings6974 "If the A-10A/C is so good, why there is no A-10A/C 2?"
"Because you can't improve on perfection."
armedassault.fandom.com/wiki/A-164_Wipeout
Why do I love it? Its like bringing a shotgun to a knife fight, lol. In hilly terrain a flight of them is pure murder and very very scary.
An automatic belt fed shotgun.
If you hear the brrrrt when you know you're still alive
I believe the bullets travel faster than sound so when you hear the *BRRRRRT* Just know you're blessed
No brrrrrrrrrrrt then that means your dead
@@mikejo8194 no if you hear brrrrttt you weren't the target and that should be remembered
Thatâs the warthog fart!
@@hadeshusband2063 And Now They Got Rail-GunBased Emunition ;)
Fairchild Republic have basically made great ground attackers for every generation. They made the P-47 Thunderbolt, then the F-84 Thunderjet, then the F-105 Thunderchief, and finally, the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
And they all start with âThunderâ
The Thunder Family, flexing on all other Aircraft since WW2.
The P-47 was designed as a heavy fighter I thought, it just happened to be a very handy ground attack plane (too)
@@zxbzxbzxb1 It was a good fighter, just the daft amount of rockets and bombs you could bolt to it, along with loads of 50 cals it was handy to have around in ground attack
The F105?
Nope.
What's the difference between an F35 and an A10?
The F35 is a fighter that comes with a gun and straps bombs on it, while the A10 is a 30mil gatling with two engines and wings, along with bombs on it.
It's so iconic and so reliable as a close air support aircraft. Love it.
The A-10 is a Vulcan cannon, 18000lbs of ordonnance with a Plane attached to it.
The F35 is not even a proper fighter.
Rahul Thakur the f35 is very much a proper fighter.
Ask the Iranians
*How to ship a gun to war*
Other nations:send it through a cargo plane
America:build a plane around it and fly it there
F35 is a plane with a gun on it.
A10 is a gun with a plane on it.
A voice from the heavens said - "Lo, I need an angel. I need one that strikes fear in my enemies. With a scream of an eagle and a thunderous burst, that will rain fire upon them. One that will move swiftly and gracefully through the skies. One that will take the torment of my enemies, while protecting thy sons and daughters on the battlefield. Gleefully returning to face wrath once more.
Sherman Fairchild stared up to the heavens and said - "700 or so sound good?"
A light shone from heavens, the voice from above said - "Make the thunderous sound, sound like BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!
Fairchild said - "DONE!"
The Army was pleased and Air Force brass was pissed off!
In 1978, I lived on Long Island, New York and just turned 18 years old and was hired by Fairchild Republic to be a Hydrualic Mechanic on the A-10. This was my first job and quite a few people were counting on me to do it right. Prior to beginning working I was taken into a room and shown a video of what this amazing jet could do. To tell you the least I would not want to be on the receiving end. From 1978 to 1983, I was able to work on over 600 ships installing the aft, right and left trough hydrualics. It was great being a part of something that would keep our troops safe. May the A-10, (Warthog) live on.
The BRRRRRRRRT has saved my life. I will be forever grateful for it, and defend it to the last.
James Harding thank you for your service.
And so he took another for yours ... War is hell
James ⊠Thank you for your service. Different services perhaps but still brothers in uniform.
You know what's better than being saved by an aircraft? Not going to war.
Merlyn Myrkur nigga
FYI the a-10 is built with belly landings in mind. Being a close air support aircraft, it was expected that it would take a fair amount of damage. If you look closely, even when the main landing gear is retracted, the wheels still protrude a bit and spin freely. So the airframe isn't taking the brunt of the initial impact đđ
And theres a reinforced skidplate under the nose to slide on the ground since the nosewheel will not touch the ground in the event of failed hydraulics.
Don't forget that 3" titanium "bathtub" that surrounds the cockpit. Gives a man the confidence to charge into a hail of bullets knowing he's shielded.
Its not the only CAS aircraft from the 80s with the same design, the Su25 is built with this in mind as well. And the engines are built under neath, so anti aircraft target the armored belly, not the tell piece.
These two aircraft are designed to their craft and have done it perfectly for almost 40 years and still going.
I was going to mention the same feature of the protruding main landing gear for belly landings.
Nothing like being able to skid down a runway gear up after limping back from battle and still have the aircraft return to service after giving it some tlc
@@Robert53area while i absoluty Love the A10 i have to say thats untrue because it IS designed as a Tank Buster in the european theatre in Case of WW3, a Task it couldnt fulfill today because it Lacks the Speed and maneuvrability to be competitive against new AA systems as Well as Jets and its firepower is also no longer able to reliably penetrate newer tanks
I love this aircraft..I still remember vividly the first time I heard that canvas ripping sound. I was on a training mission months before out first tour. I jumped out of our Strykers to take a break. Heard the BBBBBRPT and literally quickly ran for cover before I can even process what happened lol. The A10 firing range was right by us...Of course I later learned that if you're hearing that sound it's already too late to duck for cover lol...Later on seeing this thing in combat was amazing. First you hear these cracks and pops of the rounds hitting the area you called in, then you look up at the A10 diving like an Eagle going after ground prey. It would already be pulling up and flaring off because actually watching the A10 at the beginning of its attack is 100% silent. You just see smoke coming off the nose then hear the gun followed by the impacts if you're far away. If you're close by or are the target you get hit before you even know what's happening. The only thing you hear is the rounds hitting the ground and exploding
+ Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Amen đ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this FLAME."
In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ."
Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE." And please repent of all of your sins and be baptized by the Holy Spirit before it is too late, you will never know when the time will come đ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amen đ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you saved by Jesus Christ, my friend? Please believe before it is too late!!!!!!! đ!!!!!!! Amen đ!!!!!!!
and lets not forget about the effect on morale this thing has. postive moral boost for friendlies and the power of painting the enemies pants brown.
Allah loves it because it brings so many of his followers into his arms.
That is a great point, we should bring more of his followers into his caring embrace.
First, there's only one God. Whether you name him good Allah, Yehova or, well.. God.
Secondly, you either lack historical knowledge or are simply too young to remember the conflicts on the Balkans.
Back then, in the later stages/the Kosovo conflict, the Brrrrrrrr actually protected followers of Islam against Orthodox 'Christians'.
That's why RT (Russia Today) and other right-wing media here in Europe every now and then dig up the story of the US spraying the area with 'toxic' uranium-hardened 30mm ammunition, bitching about it and trying to smear the USofA.
Funnyđ
@@damianm-nordhorn116 pretty sure the Balkans weren't what he was referring to with that comment.
You know the difference between the A10 and Chuck Norris? The A10 is still in service. Nuff said
BRRRRRRRRRT!!
BRRRRRRRRTTTT
Best comment ive read! Ever!
Chuck Norris owns a 40mm cannon
The norris is still in. Hes just gone cognito.
I'll always be thankful to Bert for what he did for me. Saved me life
Just put it back into production until a truly superior replacement comes along.
The A10... The only aircraft that comes to personally mess you up.
Yes maybe. But the Russian equivalent Su25t (FrogFoot) isn't a slouch either. Both aren't something I would want to see as an insurgent coming at me.đ°
If I may ..... just for consideration....with all rightly due respect........ offer the C-130 spooky.
the more based option is the F35
the sheer disrespect of throwing a laser bomb at someone and just not even coming into range
Because it's badass and extremely effective.
Also BRRRRRRRRRRRT
8:15 If you can walk away from the aircraft it was a good landing. If you can walk away AND re-use the aircraft, it was a GREAT landing.
Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.
I donât think itâs just the plane. Itâs the hardcore tough pilots that fly them. Their pilots are some of the most down to earth guys. They donât have an ego and they do their job when needed.
Theyâre some of the most talented pilots too.
The lack of ego is due to the fact that they have nothing to proove, they can just exist and do their job.
When ur within range of absolutely any gun in the area, you canât just be any pilot. Iâm not sure how you train for this aircraft, but they might as well strap the plane to the ground engines and power going and shooting at him showing how much he can take before he gets his license or something, because it does seem like they know the limits of the airframe. And how much does an F22 cost in a year? Surely the A10 is cheaper. And itâs been around so long Iâd imagine every soldier could help fix it.
Air Farce Politicians who wear Stars on their collars, decided to shift the A-10 over to National Guard units, rather than have the "real air force" flying those things. Of course, "Best laid plans...", the National Guard usually received old "hand-me-down" jets from the Air Force and to get brand new aircraft was simply unheard of in that service. In addition, the Guard is made up of old pilots, with lots of flight hours and experience, so they are better at their job than the new kids. So rather than help kill the plane, by shifting them to the Air Guard, the perfumed princes actually manned them with the best and most experienced pilots and ground crews. Also, in the Guard, you have part-time personnel who have real lives outside the politics of the service (for the most part), so the Mission of protecting our troops is what matters, not promotions and staff positions and their personal greatness, at the expense of others, etc.
I think you'll find Marine F/A-18 pilots of similar mindset, but a fast jet just isn't capable of the same level of CAS as the A-10.
Scott Dean I think thereâs a certain comfort in knowing that if you have speed you can get away, the A10 doesnât have that comfort. What I guess could be scary is if the A10 is removed from service, what plane can you put a guy (or girl I guess) in thatâs not going to fail where the A10 excels and killing them.
They built a flying tank around a giant rapid fire gun... Who couldnt love that?
The enemy couldn't
Correction: they built a giant rapid fire gun and wrapped a flying tank around it.
@@davidstone326 nope, OP is right.
Taliban and ISIS fucking hate the thing
I love this jet. I see them fly around where I live, sometimes daily. Hope they stay for as long as possible.
I think it is the most beautiful aircraft ever created.
"We need a new close air support aircraft."
"Ok."
*Fairchild delivers a flying tank with a 30mm cannon*
No no, Fairchild delivers a 30mm cannon with a flying tank.
@@ndcentral8194 the proper response to that problem
The A10 was nearly the YA10. It was competing against the Northrop YA9, both designed to carry the GAU-8 avenger.
"I recommand you guys won't shoot me down. Because your guns go pew pew, while my gun go *BRRRRRRRRRR"*
-Cyanide 2016
Classic quote.
Nobody hate this classic ZF team quotes. Right guys?
As a wise man once said.
"And I glad it got well because, it was well deserved."
"This is trash. STOP FUCKING DOING IT! Jesus." -Cyanide, Random Space Engineer Bullshittery part 2
Its *BRRRRRRRRT* Not *BRRRRRRRRRRR* russian spy!
@@Frisher1
Yes :)
4:50 oh hey it's an M10-
*_(disintegration)_*
My life was saved by an A10. Was in Anbar Provence in 2006. We got an IED attack and was hit with RPGs from all sides. Two A10s was on station within 5 mins. Strafed the hell out of the enemy and gave us time to get out of the kill zone. After a BDA it was determined the A10s killed over 40 enemy in one attack.
As long as we have boots on the ground, we need the A-10 overhead.
Because itâs a machine with a singular purpose: destruction. And it does it beautifully.
What about a nuclear warhead carryng Tornado? Is it enough destruction for you?
@@arx3516 not enough dakka ;)
@@SonsOfLorgar ))))))))))
@Dead Channels Collector the huge atomic blast compensates for that! In my opinion nukes are the best, they should equip tanks with the davy crockett, and i long for the day when they can miniaturize 100 gigaton warheads and fit them into fighter jet missiles!
@@arx3516 no. Nukes are the worst, and your arguments only expose you as a moron.
1) They are indiscriminate.
2) They contaminate.
3) They have too high yield to focus on anything smaller than a city district and is thus wasteful.
As a combat medic during desert storm I can truthfully say "In Warthog we Trust"
The A-10 is a great airplane. I was in U.S. Air Force rescue back in the 80's and they supported our helicopters and did a great job. It carries a lot of fire power and is an outstanding ground support aircraft. I think this is even true today. Keep it!!
I was in the army when the A-10 had just started service. It was/is amazing. I was in the 101st airborne so we hand no armor. The A-10 was our tank. We loved it. The brass love high and fast. The grunts like low, slow and close. Keep it...forever.
Same story here, Max. First time I saw them flying was over Bicycle Lake at the National Training Center in the (very) early 80's. We convinced ourselves we saw those planes stall in the sky when they opened up with that GAU-8. As a tanker, we were all instructed to take out anti-aircraft pieces before we started engaging enemy tanks.....because if the A10's didn't have to worry about AA, their ground support capability made them truly legendary on the battlefield.
1st aircraft ever to be built around its primary weapon. Start with the cannon, make it fly.
are you a Chaplain in the US Marines? because you speak BRRRRRRRTTTT!!!
1st ugly aircraft I would go gay for
@@kidbach Sempbrrrrrrrrrrrt Fi!
Ehh... pretty sure it's not that uncommon.
@@wahlex841 Please enlighten us good sir.
I served before the A-10, when Sandys were the saviors of troops...I am a big A-10 fan because in a world of hype for machines that dont do the job or fail to work after a few years, this plane lives up to its hype and then some...I think the legend helps inspire the great pilots who fly it....as long as there is war, the A-10 will be needed.
Because it doesnât dogfight, it doesnât do stunts. It comes roaring in over our heads and puts the pain to what we are fighting.
It's because the a10's design is effective first, instead of expensive first like most us programs.
The only people getting rich off the A-10 are whoever supplies the cannon rounds.
@@wetlettuce4768 Boeing got a massive payday from the contract to make new wings.
Weapons development IS expensive first because the development cost is split over however many planes are produced.
Like if you spend 200 million developing a plane that you'll only build two of they'll both get +100million on their price tag.
I don't understand why you'd want to get rid of a plane that can be repaired rather then replaced.
It's the Ak-47 of aircraft.
Because top leaders get paid extra for making contracts with arms dealers regardless of the effect of their deals. It's all money games at the cost of us soldiers, Marines, and airmen lives.
Well because it breaks constantly. Code 2s but still. That's why.
@@QualityPen the Ak47 reference is about reliability durability and easily repaired. A testament to its design. Which is why all modern Aks follow the same blueprint. Like the Mg3.
@@QualityPen The A-10 was never designed to conduct operations in contested airspace.
@@QualityPen F35 lol. Tries to do everything and ends up doing nothing well.
Just keep building F16s F18s and A10s.
It would be a massive mistake to withdraw the A-10 until a true replacement can be found. Proposed ideas, such as the Super Tucano or the F-35, have serious flaws. The Super Tucano is fine for low-intensity CAS and is cheaper to operate, but its payload is tiny and it cannot offer the raw power of the A-10. Trying to make the F-35 a CAS replacement is laughable. Talk about expensive to operate, and just not right for the job at all. Additionally the A-10 has that X factor that no other plane of its type has enjoyed, except maybe the Su-25: Instilling confidence for the men on the ground, and inspiring fear in the enemy. The sheer psychological impact of the A-10 is a weapon in and of itself, and it's time tested and proven over and over again. I have had so many friends and acquaintances who have been personally saved by this beast. The sheer sight of one can bring hope to the troops on the ground in harm's way.
Besides the wonderful BRRRRRT gun, its sheer ruggedness is unique in American military aviation. It keeps its pilot alive under circumstances that would crumble any other American aircraft. The Su-25 I am certain is a rugged beast, too, but the A-10 brings so much hurt to the battlefield in the form of damn near 8 tons of external weapons. The Su-25 can bring in just short of 5 tons, which isn't bad at all. I just wonder if an improved A-10 variant could be built with modern materials, avionics and systems, etc. Like an A-10 Super Thunderbolt - built on the same lines and fully modern, but still doing the same job as the original A-10. I wouldn't think that would be overly expensive (relatively) since they can engineer its replacement on the same lines. And heck, if the Air Force doesn't want the damn thing, the Army would sure love it. Hell, give em the C-130s and their variants so the Air Force can focus on the more high-spec aircraft. That way CAS and logistical support can be handled by the Army for the Army. Just my 2 cents.
The A10 is wholly unsuited to high intensity conflict. They fell like flys to out of date IR MANPADS in their operational history, they would be utterly defenceless against operational range SAM sites.
"I just wonder if an improved A-10 variant could be built with modern materials, avionics and systems, etc"
The answer is yes, yes it could. But try telling that to shit-for-brains politicians who have never even served in the military, much less seen actual combat, and have no fucking clue what the military actually needs. All they see is numbers. Money, men, beans, and bullets. They're so detached from the real world it's astounding. Almost makes me wish prior military service was mandatory for all upper-level political positions. How can they run this country's military without even knowing the first thing about it? It's asinine.
@@ineednochannelyoutube5384 That has nothing to do with the A-10's design or operational doctrine, and is easily remedied with the kinds of updates Elric is talking about. Electronic countermeasures and signal-jamming is not the A-10's job, we have other aircraft for that. There's no such thing as a single universal aircraft that can do everything, despite what those retards pushing the F-35 would like to believe. The A-10 is only one aspect of airborne warfare. It's simply unreasonable to expect it to operate by itself with no support whatsoever to jam communications, radar, etc. despite the fact the A-10 can and does do exactly that in spite of the odds. The survivability of the A-10 airframe is legendary and for good reason. I suspect you're VASTLY exaggerating how "defenseless" you think the A-10 is; the fact she's still flying after all this time, and not only that but EXCELLING at her intended role, shows how invalid your argument is.
I actually think we should adopt the Super Tucano, but not as a replacement for the A-10. The Super Tucano has already proven itself in combat against insurgencies, and there is no reason to spend thousands of dollars killing a truck when a much cheaper Tucano can just as well. The A-10 can handle the more important missions, while the Tucanos clean up the scraps
@@sirboomsalot4902 This. Super Tucano is good as an alternative option when A-10 is simply overkill
I never got the honor of seeing this aircraft in combat. But every year on a Hunting trip I go to. The Air Force run training missions only a mile from where I camp. It is glorious to hear them at 10pm and the echo of the cannon like the roar of a massive beast. Its AMAZING
The hills are alive with the sound of BRRRRRRRRRRRTTTT
LOL đđ»
The Hills Have BRRRRTTTTTT.
Lmfao just gun a put a big brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt.
A (BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTT) a day keeps the terrorists away.
It resonates the definition of shock and awe. The hills are alive with the sound of BRRRRRT.
Currently in tech school, about 4 months out from being a crew chief on this beautiful bird. The A-10âs always been my favorite military aircraft, for the many reasons mentioned in this video. My hope is that sheâll hang around long enough for me to get a chance to fly her once Iâve got my degree. Thatâs the dream. Long live the Warthog!
I absolutely love the A-10, especially due to the fact that I work on them every day. These are a cake walk to work on and everything is mostly maintenance friendly.
2 reasons: #1 As an Ex-Para I love CAS. #2 Its the only plane getting hit in the back by birds.
I was an aircraft mechanic assigned to the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing at England AFB from 1978 to 1982. We got brand new hogs in 1980 replacing the Vietnam era A7D Corsair II. Performed Phased Inspections.Did one a week ending with ground maintenance engine run. Good to see em still flying..
These flying bath tubs have supported me in Afghanistan and Iraq, they truly are angels on our shoulders. I know the focus of this video was the plane, but I want to take a minute to thank the pilots as well. I know that they know they are flying a nearly un-killable plane, but nothing is truly un-killable, and they know that, too. Yet, time and again, when we call, they come. Flying into fire, with little to no regard for themselves or their plane, and save our asses. And they keep coming back in, holes in the wings, one engine inop, half the tail gone, over and over until we're good to go. So this grunt would like to say a huge thanks to the pilots who make this plane what is, an angel on our shoulder. Thank you.
The Air Force dislike of the A-10 is rooted in the fact that the
main mission, ground support, is loathed by that service. The
only reason the A-10 was purchased in the 1970s was to
keep the Army from taking that mission away from the
Air Force. There have been countless Air Force attempts to
retire the A-10; always thwarted by supporters in the
legislature.
That's because the A10 is obsolete. That gun? Worthless against modern tanks and largely worthless against contemporary tanks. The infamous bathtub? Proof against 23mm rounds, when the Soviets were upgrading to 27 and 30mm. Now, for awhile, it was a fantastic long loiter JDAM and missile truck, but drones do the same thing, for cheaper, and for longer, and without putting airmen at risk.
They actually pulled the A10's back in both Gulf Wars because they were vulnerable to Iraqi AAA, while F15's took over for them.
The strength of the A10 is the ground focused pilot, not the plane itself. And that training and culture must be carried forward into the future.
But the air force hates the A10 because they have better tools for the job.
@@travisjohnson6703 Its a pretty big moral booster for the troops I'm sure.
Really though, the History Channel doted on it for years. Growing up I used to watch a lot of their segments on military equipment, and the A-10 saw more than it's fair share of the spotlight.
We all know how accurate the history channel is though.
@@travisjohnson6703 Most insurgents don't have tanks let alone modern ones, and 30mm is a whole hell lot more cost effective than missiles in your typical ground attack mission. Regardless until a drone can carry the GAU-8, you won't have a leg to stand upon.
@@KageRyuu6 The A10 costs way more to fly than a drone, is more likely to commit friendly fire given that a drone has multiple people involved in confirming strikes, and a good SDB strike with shrapnel will fuck up an area just as much as the GAU8 without needing a whole plane built around it, and for far cheaper to boot. The A10's heyday is past, and there are other things that do it's job just as well for cheaper. People just think with their dick instead of their brain.
@@travisjohnson6703 Travis, all true. cept for one little itty bitty but really important point. The systems you speak of exist but are not widely deployed. Most of 'em are still on Materials Command eval and the like. Until they are deployed in "real" numbers we need the A-10. Also, while drones and such are all well and good they need an operator. Autonomous drones are not happening yet. Remote operators can be signal jammed rendering your high tech drone utterly useless. We'll always need some purpose built manned ground attack aircraft. Until it can be comprehensively shown we don't. I recall a few years back the pundits were saying the age of the tank is past. Yea that turned out real true too.
Chuck Norris picked a fight with an A10 about 38 years ago and they are still fighting today
The fight was a draw but out of mutual respect they have never told anyone about it.
@@wetlettuce4768 Just that slight head nod, acknowledging a worthy opponent.
I had support from this more than once in both Iraq and in Afghanistan. We loved it. Best air support ever because it can stick around unlike fast movers.
Its got a lot of other design features besides the gun. Same fuel efficient engines as the Navy S-3 Vikings (no longer in service). Mounted at an angle harder to pick up by ground radar. . if the Air Force doesn't want it Im pretty sure the Army and Marines would fly it into the next century. And if the US didn't want it I'm sure every military that's ever been on the receiving end of an A-10 wants as many as they can buy.
For the Army to get their hands on the A-10, it will take an Act of Congress to move it from the Air Force to the Army. The Army isn't allowed to have Fixed Wing Attack or CAS aircraft, but it should only take a short paragraph in a resolution by Congress to make it so.
However, you know how smart, effective and honest Congress is, sooooo....
In 2020, everyone elect good conservatives (i.e., Republicans), to Congress.
Funny thing about S-3 Vikings - despite being carrier based aircraft, they have tons of lifetime in airfraimes and they could be easily enough upgraded for many meaningful roles...
Yeah, the Key West agreement would have to be scrapped for the Army to get the A-10. That agreement restricted combat aircraft to the Air Force, but helicopters weren't really accounted for. I believe that the dedicated CAS aircraft and their budget, should be transferred to the Army. The Air Force can keep the multi-role aircraft.
@@steveaustin2686 I think the airforce worrying the army will steal their CAS budget might have been part of the reason why the A-10 was built in the first place. Why the air force still hates the A10 despite this might tell us alot about the nature of interservice rivalry.
@@robincray116 The A-10 isn't a sexy, fast mover aircraft. The USAF has interceptors, bombers, and multi-role aircraft for fighting the air battle. The A-10 isn't part of the air battle that the USAF has to fight and is something to protect instead. So they would rather have multi-role aircraft cover CAS, even if that degrades CAS capabilities.
Papa P-47 to his son A-10 be like : i'm so proud of you, son
the P-47 was far more important as an air-to-air weapon. It fucking broke the Luftwaffe, the most advanced and experienced air-force in existence by the beginning of the War.
And the F6F Hellcat broke the Japanese air power .
@@Dr.Westside God, the Hellcat and P47's are some fucking eye candy, though.
"JUG" and the mighty PW2800 FTW!! (and when TF will Hollyweird stop casting P-51s in the ground attack role!?!???)
@@stevejohnson174 Big American (and some Canadian) iron at it's best! It just out-muscled everything the Luftwaffe had. "Excuse me Mr. Pilot, would you like turbocharging or supercharging?..." "BOTH, and wedge in 2 extra Ma Deuces and twice the ammo of other fighters... and hang a 13.4 foot diameter PROP on the front to fling me through the sky at > 400 knots, and out-climb every other piston fighter in service..." :D
A-10 does what it says on the can. *Sending your enemies to hell one BRRRRRRRRT at a time.*
The A10 has classic flight characteristics. It's actually stable. Not like the latest unstable fighters that would fall out of the sky without constant computer correction. Then there's the weaponry. Then there's the character. It's a beautiful and noble bird. It's righteous, understandable engineering that any motorcyclist would appreciate. It's an honest, straight talking hero. Did I miss anything? Just hope it flies for ever.
There is a very different level of tension in the TOC when the Air Force has A-10s operating in the AO versus when they don't. The whole of the Army, from the guys pulling the trigger, to those of us supporting from the COB love this air frame and the security we feel when know that an A-10 can be on the field when the shit hits the fan . . . it's immense.
I'm more than happy to have my tax dollars funding the A-10. I have friends who probably wouldn't be alive today if that magnificent beast wasn't in the air.
Like you said, it's AMAZING at filling the CAS role, and the only way we could ever justify replacing it is if we replace it with an aircraft worthy of the title "Thunderbolt III."
While the F-35B is absolutely crazy cool, IMHO, it's no A-10. If the A-10 was somehow turned into a short take-off or VTOL like the F-35B, but maintained its firepower and armor, I think we'd have a new candidate for the Thunderbolt III. If we want to cut costs, how 'bout we reduce the pay of senators and congressmen by half? That'd easily make up for it, and perhaps remind those assholes in D.C. that they're public servants, not friggin' nobility/royalty.
Bingo, thank you!!
Well said!
The lack of stupid tech makes the A-10 the beast it is.
The F-35 isn't really good for anything other than showing off fancy new tech. Its entire development life has been the definition of "Waste, Fraud, & Abuse." If our military was run responsibly, the F-35 never would have made it past the prototype stage. We should've stopped dumping funding into that money pit a long time ago, the amount of money that has been wasted on trying to make that abomination "Serviceable" is mind-boggling and completely flies in the face of any claims that the F-35 is meant to be more cost-effective than the A-10. Upgrading the Warthog's avionics and countermeasures would have been way cheaper in the long run than constantly throwing money at the F-35 and hoping something useful came of it.
And you're absolutely right. Politicians make way too much money for the "work" (if you can even call it work in most cases) that they do. They're the real ones sucking this country dry. Exorbitant annual salaries, free healthcare for life for them and their families, retirement, Secret Service protection details - politicians are the biggest financial scam this country has ever seen.
As Brit I support you 100%, sir! At least you guys don't have aircraft carriers without planes. Politicians and cutbacks. Give me strength...
Its the best aircraft known to man and carries its own battle cry when it fires. Truly a beast of the sky.
I was a SERE instructor in the Air Force in the mid 80âs. It was 10 years old then. The pilots of these aircraft paid careful attention in survival training. They were and knew they would be close to the battlefield. They werenât really tested in conflict yet.
It shows clearly donât fix what isnât broken. This is also a example of a few times the US congress gets it right not allowing the A10 to be mothballed.
Because its an angel of mercy for anyone needing close air support. My friend who was a Ranger said the enemy would run for the hills at first sight/sound of this beast. Unlike the Apache it would give no warning by the time they heard it they was already approaching their strafing run. Either an angel of mercy or the harvester of sorrow depending on which side you fight either way it DEMANDS respect!!
Ive watched videos of the Airforce pilots tell tales of firing danger close 30mm rounds. Ive watched videos that play the actual radio transmissions of Marines and others that have a sense of urgency so tangible I found it hard to swallow. Rounds landing from recieving effective fire, mortar shells landing and a pilot confirming where the target is before BRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTT!
The camaraderie the pilots have with the men they protect forms a bond so genuine it's easy to see why these Patriots have a hard time adjusting to civilian life.
It's basically a pecker, with a body built around it. Like how troops used to sit on the turrets of tanks with the cannon between their legs, it's power incarnate.
caboosemacs calm down Freud
The A-10s are terrifying to behold. And those guns have bullets the size of my forearms. Its armor can only be compared to a tank. And those wings and can carry payloads like a semi cargo.
The A-10 is a flying monster and who wouldnât love that beast to be on their side? Once its sighted you know the battle is over because, âBrrrrrttttttâ!
Iâm a crew chief in the USAF, not on the A-10, but Iâm blessed enough to see these jets fly every day and damn it gets better and better by the day!
A classic example of design and built to purpose.
2 things....First, the A-10 is not expensive to operate, maintenance, or repair. For an attack air-frame, it's one of the least expensive to operate per flight hour. Some top brass in the Air Force arectrying to look out for future high paying positions awaiting them at retirement for their support of the F-35 program, as the A-10, along with the F/A-18, was earmarked as one of the platforms the F-35 was to replace. And the Air Force's 'Old Guard' did not want their assets bothered with protecting Army, Navy, Marine troops/assets, and those services would have their own variant of F-35 to stop that trend once and for all. But as we've seen over the last two years, support for the A-10, and the realization the F-35 has other mountains to climb, has ended retirement talks for the Warthog for another decade or so. Second, I bristled when I felt your narrative vere into friendly fire territory. It was no fault of the aircraft, for certain. Friendly fire incidents are a part of war. Sad but true. But only the A-10 seems to carry that brand more than anything in history. Artillery has taken thousands of lives via friendly fire over the centuries, yet its seldom mentioned. Bombers in WW2, tens of thousands. Perhaps hundreds of thousands, then, and in the wars since. Women, children..... I know you don't mean anything derogatory by mentioning those incidents. But,...why does the A-10 repeatedly come up as the poster child for all of this with only a few cases and a handful of lives lost? Because people keep perpetuating the hype the mainstream media whipped up over it in Gulf when, to stand out from the myriad press presence in the Gulf in an effort to garner higher ratings and more viewers, a mole hill was made to appear as a mountain. War had changed, and its surgical precision, minute collateral casualties, and blindingly fast resolution left it looking almost boring to the press. There were no news exclusives, or "scoops". The press were herded into a room, no 'one' seat better than any other. And they were shown via battle cams exactly what happened. 30 minute battle cam briefings completely leveled the playing field , showing how sterile reporting on it would become. No more front line battle correspondents like the ones they had admired growing up as kids. Legends they aspired to be like. The war was where they were going to make their careers, like so many legendary trailblazers before them. They were going to shine.... But they didn't....they couldn't. The military did their jobs better than they ever could, and it bloody drove them nuts. So they went dark. Big surprise. When it happened, its all they talked about and reported on for the rest of the war and for years after. Time to put that puppy to bed.
@Kevin Counihan Jim put quotation marks at the beginning and end is that one paragraph?
A lit bit of trivia about the A-10...
The A-10 is potentially the only the aircraft that requires its "machine gun" as a structural support. Common maintenance practices call for special jigs to be placed underneath the airframe to support it if the weapon is removed for an extended period of time.
As a prior Airframe Technician in the US Army I have a special love for that aircraft. I had a pilot that used to work on them before joining the army and had endless stories about this beautiful machine. One was of an A-10 coming in for a landing missing most of its #2 side wing along with the #2 engine. (#2 side equals starboard) It was described as being composed and had landed safely. I don't see it going anywhere any time soon.
Look at this beast... it can return very wounded from combat and still lands safely, the maintainers are hard working people to keep these angels flying!
It's affordable, reliable, tough as bricks, everything the F35 isn't.
@Big Bill O'Reilly Pentagon just called, we need another $3 billion.
The idea that a 100m F35 can replace a workhorse on low flying close support mission is sick. F35 would just come and drop and disappear because Pentagon would not want to risk a 100m aircraft. But then someone need to justify F35 program....
@Big Bill O'Reilly he is one of the few smart ones
@M ÎŁ G Î Neither is the F35.
Cyril Chui
"The idea that a 100m F35 can replace a workhorse on low flying"
And there's the idiocy. Close Air Support refers to the placement of munitions in relation to friendly forces, NOT HOW CLOSE THE AIRCRAFT PLACING THOS MUNITIONS ARE TO THE GROUND!
The A-10 may be able to take a beating, but it has to, because it's unable to fly high and fast, and even if it could, it wouldn't have the sensors required to do its job while flying high and fast.
Why do you think the A-10 was effectively sidelined in the CAS role by F-16s in the Gulf Wars? And not only that, but why do you think the F-16 was able to do more CAS missions, destroy more targets, be involved in fewer Blue-On-Blue incidents, and was shot down less by the A-10, if the A-10 was this supposed CAS gold standard?
It's simple. It's effective. It does what it's supposed to do.
I think of it like the way people are drawn to boxers. There are the graceful, quick, smooth boxers that almost dance in the ring, you watch how they move and are in awe of their athleticism and movement. Those are the sexy sleek fast mover jets. Then there are the brawlers, the tough SOBs that just keep coming forward. You can bloody their nose, you can land a clean shot on their jaw, but they will simply step forward and keep swinging. That's the A-10.
Witnessed an A-10 land with no front landing gear dragging its tail down the flight line showering sparks everywhere to finally come to a stop and drop its nose. A TP round had exploded in the barrel. The explosion blasted through the landing gear wall jamming the landing gear ( maybe the A-10s only flaw) still repairable.
Ammo troop vet. Spent most of my Air Force Career supporting this aircraft.
Iâm obsessed with the A-10 because it can burp longer than anything I know.
As an f16 crew cheif i can say that the A10 is one of the most maintenance friendly aircraft in the airforce as well. Truly amazing
As a crew cheif. What about the avionics?
Ok, as someone from the UK I'll admit it, I'm jealous, I want this in the RAF
Good luck getting it exported. The Air Force insists on getting rid of it, but also wants a ban on international sales, even to allies. (hypocritical much?) The only other planes with similar bans that I recall are the F-22 and B-1. I think that says a lot.
Sorain1 I mean at least thereâs some kind of pattern in their bans for export.
Raptor: too much _sneak_
Lancer: too much *boom*
Thunderbolt: too much *BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT*
Not dislikeing some of the more "modern" Aircrafts but the A-10 will stay my all time favorite. Pure eye candy...