The A10, Warthog

[Mule]

. Seems the Air Force Brass, mostly dated fighter jocks that are being replaced by robots and remote pilots, want to kill off the A10. I always thought this plane should have been in Marine Air. I would think it could be modified for carrier take of and landings, a requirement Marine Air planes as I understand it. I digress...again. Anyhow, here is a link that I found interesting. A

https://www.wired.com/2015/07/a-10-thunderbolt/

 

[bilge53]

This plane is a fantastic weapon that is exceptional in many roles. Simply put , it works. Pilots love it, ground troops love it and the bad guys are scared to death when they hear it's whine. Fly Warthog Fly!

 

[Marlinmike]

Too bad the company that built them is long gone and now the site of a Home Depot.... Drone in isle three....

 

[tpbrady]

Favorite A-10 jokes:

It's so slow, it is the only airplane that gets bird strikes in the rear.

It's so slow the INS has to compensate for continental drift.

The A-10 simulator starts off life as a dumpster.

I remember coming out of Base Ops at Eielson with a Col who had just finished his monthly A-10 currency flight who commented it was a beautiful airplane. I replied, "With all due respect Col, any airplane that ugly should belong to the army."

They would probably taken better care of it.

 

[Ken E.]

Any plane built around a gun has got to be cool!

 

[fstbttms]

Seems the Air Force Brass, mostly dated fighter jocks that are being replaced by robots and remote pilots, want to kill off the A10. I always thought this plane should have been in Marine Air. I would think it could be modified for carrier take of and landings, a requirement Marine Air planes as I understand it. I digress...again.

Being two and a half years old, your article is long out of date:

The Air Force Gives Up Its Plan To Retire the A-10

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I used to maintain the A-10. It was an awesome plane. It was easy to work on, all the systems accessible. She was heading to the scarp heap in Arizona, as the brass wanted zoom zoom jets, not slow ground support aircraft. Then the gulf war happened. She proved her metal and ask any ground troops and they love the power the A-10 brings to the fight. There is a reason the pilots of the A-10 wear a camo helmet........

 

[tego]

The A-10 was the best ground support aircraft we ever built. That is the opinion of a retired Infantryman. The airforce doesn't have a clue about ground support.

 

[Keysdisease]

Any plane built around a gun has got to be cool!

Once a long time ago a pair of warthogs buzzed the fleet of racing sailboats in the Marathon to Key West race. I swear they were below mast height as they weaved effortlessly between the boats in the race. Awesome display of the agility they are famous for.

The entire concept of this plane being a tank killer and being built around a cannon built specifically for the job is just stupid genius in its simplicity. With the redundancy and armor its good for coming home too.

The Airforce just didn't know what to do with a subsonic plane that wasn't a transport.

 

[CaptTom]

Once a long time ago a pair of warthogs buzzed the fleet of racing sailboats in the Marathon to Key West race.

I can relate. I was alone, offshore one day when a pair zeroed in on me. I assume they were out on a training mission, or just transiting somewhere and took the opportunity for a couple of practice runs. Using me as the target.

Holy crap I'm glad they're on our side! I can attest to the psychological impact those things must have on an enemy. Those are some very impressive machines.

 

[CPseudonym]

My son enjoyed wrenching on them in Arizona and South Korea. Impressive bird.

 

[Xsbank]

As these were becoming surplus, the company I worked for looked at buying them as firebombers but because the guns were integral to the airframe, I think they decided the engineering was too difficult (expensive). Given the chance to fly a civilian Warthog, I might have stuck with it!

 

[Mule]

The A-10 was the best ground support aircraft we ever built. That is the opinion of a retired Infantryman. The airforce doesn't have a clue about ground support.

That is precisely why I think the Air Force should turn them over to the Marines. Every Marine is an Infantryman first.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

That is precisely why I think the Air Force should turn them over to the Marines. Every Marine is an Infantryman first.

mmmm yet when the marines are in trouble they call the Air Force and their A-10s.......

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Why Air Force? Are the Army & Marines trying to get their own light, CAS aircraft?

https://tinyurl.com/zfpytal

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Back when the A-10 was created there was a big big argument between the Army and Air Force. AF stated THEY fly planes, not the Army and that won over the Brass.....

 

[sbu22]

The Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966 put the army out of the fixed-wing tactical business. Guess that was about the time that the A-10 concept was moving toward the drawing board.

 

[tcpip95]

Back when the A-10 was created there was a big big argument between the Army and Air Force. AF stated THEY fly planes, not the Army and that won over the Brass.....

Yes, this was the story. The AF didn't want it - they wanted fighter jets and bombers. The Army made a case for it and basically forced the AF's hand. AF had to either build a ground support aircraft or the funding - and the aircraft - was going to the Army. This would have created a precedent of having the Army flying combat planes (fixed wing) so the AF backed down and went with the program - with the plan of killing it off the first chance.

Then along came Gulf War I and the aircraft proved its worth.....

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Go retro!

https://tinyurl.com/gsubskz

 

[RT Firefly]

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Ha! Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!