A-10 pilots should have an edge next time they go downrange

Stars and Stripes ^ | November 22, 2007 | Charlie Reed

[FReepaholic]

Survivability.

[Brucifer]

God Bless John Boyd.

[alarm rider]

I love the A-10. When you really, really have to kill something right away, there is your aircraft.

Additionally, what’s not to love about bomblets?

[Lancer_N3502A]

The A-10 is one plane that needs to go back into production.

[50mm]

Great A-10 YouTube video at:

A-10 Action Video

[straps]

The 10s with the shark mouth are Conn ANG

[rmh47]

Is that “party mix” being loaded?

[AFreeBird]

Well, they could be, but the A-10 design has always called for converted airliner engines to power it.

It made for a hell of a cheap and reliable ground attack plane.

And lots of spare engine parts.

[50mm]

Is that “party mix” being loaded?

Yup! 30mm U235 specials.

Smokin'!:

[50mm]

As part of this last A-10 upgrade the engine pylons were changed. They are hoping “funds become available soon for engine upgrades.” Translated: “if the ‘rats don’t win the A-10 engine upgrade is possible.”

[Loud Mime]

Ground forces also have access to the images coming from the plane. ..

coming soon to a television near you....

[Jet Jaguar]

You know it.

[Popocatapetl]

The A-10 is an amazing, enigmatic aircraft. If you talk to the US ground forces, they first ask why we don’t have armadas of A-10s to blanket the battlefield and wreak havoc on their enemy. Then they ask why don’t we make drone A-10s to do that.

And if the answer to the first question is complicated, the answer to the second one is paradoxical.

That is, as part of its design, as much of the A-10 as possible has redundant systems. This means, and has been proven, that in combat, an A-10 can take an unbelievable amount of punishment and still return home. Aircraft missing big chunks of wing and tail, perforated with holes so much you can see through them, blasted, scorched, torn apart.

And they do. Beaten all to heck up, they still limp home, nursed by their pilot. And that is the key. While an A-10 is a devastating weapon at several altitudes, when it is severely wounded, it needs a pilot to bring it home.

A drone or remote pilot just doesn’t have the feel of the aircraft. And the A-10, or the Raptor, which comes pretty close, is too pricey to just casually throw away. This means that it can fly high, but unless the target is critical, it can’t fly above the treetops and do that voodoo that A-10s do so well.

[50mm]

Part of the SADL (Situational Awareness Data Link) upgrade:

[Jet Jaguar]

It is as amazing aircraft.

[Jet Jaguar]

As = an

[Snickersnee]

I think the tiger’s mouth A-10s are Pope AFB ships from the 21st Exp Wing — they have the AVG “Flying Tigers” in their lineage.

[listenhillary]

Insurgent gets flying lesson from the USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WlzUqifv_Y

[50mm]

I’d like to get the full story on that one! Is that really a body flying?

[listenhillary]

It sure looks like it. I just stumbled across it looking at the A-10 videos.