Hawg!

[waltesefalcon]

I found this excellent documentary on the A-10 and its role on the battlefield. Apparently this video was suppressed by Airforce brass because the A-10 does not jive with their vision of what the Airforce should be in the twenty-first century.

 

[Basil]

Getting rid of the A10 will go down as one of the worst mistakes in military history. In my humble opinion.

 

[SaxMan]

After Desert Storm, one of the recommended changes was that the A-10 be transferred to the Army in exchange for the Army turning over their Patriot Missle Defense system to the Air Force. It really was a logical switch, putting close support under the Army and anti-aircraft assets under the Air Force. General Horner, then the AF chief was the one who suggested it, but it got shot down by the rest of the brass.

The A-10 is an ideal platform for the kind of low-level warfare and insurgencies that we have been dealing with. The F-35 is supposed to replace it. History has shown that trying to build a plane that is a "jack of all trades" tends to be a poor decision. It is far better to take a plane that has one outstanding quality and adapt it to new missions. Look at what was done with the F-15, an air-superiority fighter, which has now been converted to the F-15E Strike Fighter.

I would put the acquisition of the F-35 right up there with the choice of acquiring the B-18 over the B-17 during the 1930s. God forbid that we get into a shooting war with a major power, the F-35 will end up being just as useless as a B-18. Fortunately, in the 1930s, someone had enough foresight to order just enough B-17s to keep the assembly lines open. We would have been in a world of hurt had it not been there.

 

[catfood]

I remeber seeing the A10 at an airshop in the UK as a teenager. We were all impressed by its manouvrability and short landing capability. Unfortunately the pilot overdid the short landing a bit and blew out a couple of tyres. The display was delayed for half an hor befor they could clear the runway!

 

[MikeP]

Fortunately, in the 1930s, someone had enough foresight to order just enough B-17s to keep the assembly lines open. We would have been in a world of hurt had it not been there.

Fortunately during the late 30s Boeing managed to afford the losses from what the government was willing to pay. Unlike these days Congress then set a price and told Boeing the first examples would be purchased as well under cost to manufacture, something like 15-20k under cost, which was a lot more then, particularly since Boing was not a large company at that time.

 

[SD Bugeye]

The ugliest deadliest thing I ever saw. If you ever get the opertunity to get up close its quite amazing.
Talked with the pilot of one at the air show amazing they pretty much built the plane around the Gatling gun.
the front landing gear is off set because the gun is almost in the middle the only reason it's not is the weight of the depleted uranium shells from the feeder. The balance is such that it can't fly with out ammo. so for the air show they bolt on huge chunks of lead in the nose 1200 lbs worth to off set the CG issue . The sound this thing makes when it rips a burst is scary as **** I can't imagine being on the receiving end.

 

[DrEntropy]

I had the luck to be present in Vermont for the first multiple round firing of the GAU 8-A. Remarkable concussion! Like a sixty-knot wind... or Jack's giant breaking wind :smirk:

 

[Billm]

i was an Air Force mechanic stationed at Edwards from '72 thru '74 and was lucky enough to be able to play around with the prototype A10, F15, F16 and F17 (now called the F18)
They were fabulous toys. That A10 shook us up when the gun fired into the "gunhill" (sand mountain), as Doc said it sounded like a HUGE fart!
BillM

 

[DrEntropy]

Some time in '73 we went TDY to Edwards to photograph the then-new F-15. They still had the "Air Superiority Blue" paint scheme with orange wingtips. There was a B-model with a back seat. Our first shirt "bumped" me for the back-seat ride... He was "short" and said I'd have plenty of opportunities to get the experience. Never happened. WAAH. By the time they got to Langley I was back home in PA.