The A-10 also flew 32 missions in which the aircraft dropped propaganda leaflets over Iraq. [4] The A-10 was designed for close air support (CAS) of friendly ground troops, attacking armored vehicles and tanks, and providing quick-action support against enemy ground forces. [56], The A-10 is exceptionally tough, being able to survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive projectiles up to 23 mm. [112][113], The USAF 122nd Fighter Wing revealed it would deploy to the Middle East in October 2014 with 12 of the unit's 21 A-10 aircraft. ATJ is the third alternative fuel to be evaluated by the Air Force as a replacement for the petroleum-derived JP-8 fuel. Most pilots switching to the A-10 did not want to because fighter pilots traditionally favored speed and appearance. [143] On 28 June 2012, the A-10 became the first aircraft to fly using a new fuel blend derived from alcohol; known as ATJ (Alcohol-to-Jet), the fuel is cellulosic-based and can be produced using wood, paper, grass, or any cellulose based material, which are fermented into alcohols before being hydro-processed into aviation fuel. [67], The A-10's durability was demonstrated on 7 April 2003 when Captain Kim Campbell, while flying over Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, suffered extensive flak damage. The aircraft has superior maneuverability at low speeds and altitude because of its large wing area, high wing aspect ratio, and large ailerons. Flight Manual TO 1A-10A-1 (20 February 2003, Change 8), pp. [148], The A-10 has been flown exclusively by the United States Air Force and its Air Reserve components, the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and the Air National Guard (ANG). The aircraft is designed to be able to fly with one engine, half of the tail, one elevator, and half of a wing missing. The U.S. Army had expressed interest in obtaining some A-10s should the Air Force retire them,[125][126] but later stated there was "no chance" of that happening. [37], In 2014, as part of plans to retire the A-10, the USAF considered halting the wing replacement program to save an additional $500 million;[40][41] however, by May 2015 the re-winging program was too far into the contract to be financially efficient to cancel. [50], In 2012, Air Combat Command requested the testing of a 600-US-gallon (2,300 l; 500 imp gal) external fuel tank which would extend the A-10's loitering time by 45–60 minutes; flight testing of such a tank had been conducted in 1997, but did not involve combat evaluation. The GAU … [9] A 1965 cost-effectiveness study shifted the focus from the F-5 to the less expensive LTV A-7D, and a contract was awarded. The GAU-8 cannon itself weighs 620 pounds, while entire the A/A49E-6 Gun System weighs 4,029 pounds, totaling approximately 16 percent of the A-10’s overall weight. Numerous navies deploy the system, including the Royal Netherlands Navy, the U.K. Royal Navy and the navies of South Korea, Portugal and Belgium. A 1966 Air Force study of existing close air support (CAS) capabilities revealed gaps in the escort and fire suppression roles, which the Cheyenne could fill. [74] The cannon takes about half a second to reach top speed, so 50 rounds are fired during the first second, 65 or 70 rounds per second thereafter. [103] The A-10s were deployed to support search and rescue missions, but over time the Warthogs began to receive more ground attack missions. 3:48. [60], The front landing gear is offset to the aircraft's right to allow placement of the 30 mm cannon with its firing barrel along the centerline of the aircraft. The Air Force rates the barrels as having a minimum life of 20,000 rounds. [87] The first unit to achieve full combat-readiness was the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, in October 1977. [105], Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March 2003. 0:51. It’s cannon is over 19 feet long and weighs a massive 4,000 lbs. [53] The skin panels are integral with the stringers and are fabricated using computer-controlled machining, reducing production time and cost. More recently A-10s have struck Islamic States in Iraq and Syria. The A-10 Warthog’s Gatlin Gun Is Large, Heavy And Powerful. A-10 Firing Its 30mm Gatling Gun. This proved effective against the lightly armed enemy, and new gun and rocket pods were added. The U.S. Air Force had stated the F-35 would replace the A-10 as it entered service, but this remains highly contentious within the USAF and in political circles. The gun can fire if the player left-clicks, where there will be a muzzle flash on the end of the gun lasting a few seconds. [43] The A-10C has a Missile Warning System (MWS), which alerts the pilot to whenever there is a missile launch, friendly or non-friendly. Delvin Rice. Previous types were a synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from coal and natural gas and a bio-mass fuel derived from plant-oils and animal fats known as Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet. The A-10 is a sturdy, durable aircraft that requires relatively little maintenance and can even operate from forward bases that often lack extensive support systems and fully-prepared runways. The Air Force estimated that they would run out of wings by 2011. The A-10 served in the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), the American–led intervention against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, where the aircraft distinguished itself. On 5 August 1994, two A-10s located and strafed an anti-tank vehicle. Donald, David and Daniel J. "A-10 Fighting Warthog". A fourth, even more drastic change was initiated with aircraft #582, again to address the problems discovered with spectrum 3 testing. ", "30 Apr OIF by the Numbers UNCLASS.doc (pdf). The Air Force selected two competing gun designs from General Electric, which had developed the earlier M61 Vulcan, and Philco-Ford, developer of the unsuccessful 25-millimeter GAU-7. The Maverick allows target engagement at much greater ranges than the cannon, and thus less risk from anti-aircraft systems. The third option, worth $1.72 billion, was to build 242 new wings and avoid the cost of expanding the SLEP. This was an attack helicopter armed with long-range BGM-71 TOW missiles able to destroy tanks from outside the range of defensive fire. [117][118] In about two months time, A-10s flew 11 percent of all USAF sorties since the start of operations in August 2014. [43] The Government Accounting Office in 2007 estimated the cost of upgrading, refurbishing, and service life extension plans for the A-10 force to total $2.25 billion through 2013. The two-seat trainer version was ordered by the Air Force in 1981, but funding was canceled by U.S. Congress and the jet was not produced. [65][66] Compromised fuel transfer lines self-seal; if damage exceeds a tank's self-sealing capabilities, check valves prevent fuel flowing into a compromised tank. [139][140] In October 2016, the Air Force Material Command brought the depot maintenance line back to full capacity in preparation for re-winging the fleet. This round of testing quickly determined that more drastic reinforcement would be needed. Used for combat during the time of the Gulf War in 1991, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt – also known commonly as the “Warthog” – destroyed more than 900 Iraqi tanks, some 2,000 other military vehicles, and approximately 1,200 artillery pieces. The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). Both shells feature aluminum alloy cases in order to minimize their weight and increase the plane’s payload. Shortly thereafter, fatigue testing on a test wing failed prematurely and also mounting problems with wings failing in-service inspections at an increasing rate became apparent. ", "$382 Billion for a Slightly Better Fighter Plane? The A-10 Thunderbolt “Warthog” aircraft is built around the GAU-8 Avenger gun A 30mm Gatling-type cannon capable of firing 70 rounds per second. In addition to Congressional opposition, its use in anti-ISIL operations, deployments to Eastern Europe as a response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, and reevaluation of F-35 numbers necessitated its retention. ", "A-10 Precision Engagement program holds its final roll-out ceremony. The developers consulted A-1 Skyraider pilots with operational experience in Vietnam and revised their proposal in the summer of 1970. Each missile contains depleted uranium, The cockpit and aircraft’s systems are covered with a titanium armor of about 1200 pounds weight. The GAU-8/A is mounted slightly to the port side; the barrel in the firing location is on the starboard side at the 9 o'clock position so it is aligned with the aircraft's centerline. ", "U.S. [144], In 2011, the National Science Foundation granted $11 million to modify an A-10 for weather research for CIRPAS at the U.S. The wings are also mounted closer to the ground, simplifying servicing and rearming operations. [18] During this time, a separate RFP was released for A-X's 30 mm cannon with requirements for a high rate of fire (4,000 round per minute) and a high muzzle velocity. The resulting report described the damage done as “severe,” adding that low-level attack runs were “very successful.”. [132], Plans to develop a replacement aircraft were announced by the US Air Combat Command in August 2015. Report. The first two options involved expanding the service life extension program (SLEP) at a cost of $4.6 billion and $3.16 billion, respectively. US Military Helicopter Gatling gun & machine gun. Naval Postgraduate School[145] and in collaboration with scientists from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T),[146] replacing SDSM&T's retired North American T-28 Trojan. When a German Fighter was captured with a simple flare gun in World War II. Nicknamed "Warthog" or "Hog," the aircraft has been in active service for the United States Air Force since March 1977. ", TO 1A-10A-1 Flight Manual USAF Series A-10A Aircraft Serno 75-00258 and Subsequent (1988), A-10 Thunderbolt II in action on youtube.com, Detailed explanation of A-10 design & engineering, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II&oldid=1004280124, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from May 2013, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2017, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 73-1667 – Flying Tiger Heritage Park at the former, 4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19×/7×. Haave |, Col. Christopher and Lt. Col. Phil M. Haun. The A-10 also participated in other conflicts such as in Grenada, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and against the Islamic State in the Middle East. [49] Additionally, the Pave Penny pods and pylons are being removed as their receive-only capability has been replaced by the AN/AAQ-28(V)4 LITENING AT targeting pods or Sniper XR targeting pod, which both have laser designators and laser rangefinders. This story originally appeared at Historical Firearms. Report. [137][138] In February 2016, the Air Force deferred the final retirement of the aircraft until 2022 after being replaced by F-35s on a squadron-by-squadron basis. An old rumor that a reader recently asked about is the A-10's gun is so powerful that when fired the recoil slows the plane down almost to a complete stop. [27][28] In 1980, the A-10 began receiving an inertial navigation system. ", "A-10C revolutionizes close air support. [121], The future of the platform remains the subject of debate. [10][11] On 7 June 1961, Secretary of Defense McNamara ordered the USAF to develop two tactical aircraft, one for the long-range strike and interdictor role, and the other focusing on the fighter-bomber mission. [19] Six companies submitted aircraft proposals, with Northrop and Fairchild Republic selected to build prototypes: the YA-9A and YA-10A, respectively. Stephens, Rick. 1:21. ", "AFSO21 Event for Osan's A-10 Phase Dock", 40th FTS expands A-10 fuel limitations in combat, "Wounded Warthog: an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot safely landed her "Warthog" after it sustained significant damage from enemy fire. The front landing gear retracts from under the wings in an offset position, with the rear wheels in line with the fuselage. [11] Sprey required that the biography of World War II Luftwaffe attack pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel be read by people on the A-X program. Since 1991, A-10s have since seen service in Afghanistan, the 2003 Iraq war and coalition operations in Libya in 2011. The engines are shielded from the rest of the airframe by firewalls and fire extinguishing equipment. It typically flies at a relatively low speed of 300 knots (350 mph; 560 km/h), which makes it a better platform for the ground-attack role than fast fighter-bombers, which often have difficulty targeting small, slow-moving targets. vi, 1–150A. Other changes included two multifunction displays, a modern communications suite including a Link-16 radio and SATCOM. It first focused on the Northrop F-5, which had air-to-air capability. An A-10 warthog shooting live rounds from the 30mm GAU cannon. Goalkeeper defends surface ships against missiles, aircraft and fast surface threats out to 2,000 meters. The Coloney Engineering Company won this contract with a design that could remove spent cases while simultaneously loading new ammunition. The gun is accurate enough to place 80 percent of its shots within a 40-foot (12.4 m) diameter circle from 4,000 feet (1,220 m) while in flight. after a gun run, why does the A-10 warthog make that buzzing sound, very reminiscent of that alien in war of the worlds. The General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon that is typically mounted in the United States Air Force's Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Some sustained additional damage in crash landings. In the mid-1970s Hollandse Signaalapparaten B.V., a Dutch armaments company, selected the GAU-8 as the gun system for its Goalkeeper close-in weapon system. Epidemiologists Rate a Pastor’s Safety Measures for His Congregation, The Great Gen X vs. Boomer Debate Comes for Kamala. [76] To protect the GAU-8/A rounds from enemy fire, armor plates of differing thicknesses between the aircraft skin and the drum are designed to detonate incoming shells. The A-10 was designed around the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon. [102], A-10s returned to the Balkan region as part of Operation Allied Force in Kosovo beginning in March 1999. [102] In March 1999, A-10s escorted and supported search and rescue helicopters in finding a downed F-117 pilot. [62], The cockpit and parts of the flight-control systems are protected by 1,200 lb (540 kg) of titanium aircraft armor, referred to as a "bathtub". [71] Reticulated polyurethane foam lines both the inner and outer sides of the fuel tanks, retaining debris and restricting fuel spillage in the event of damage. [9], During this period, the United States Army had been introducing the UH-1 Iroquois into service. This placed the GAU-8’s 45 kilonewtons of recoil force along the plane’s centerline and prevented the A-10 from being pushed off target when it fired. The former became the Tactical Fighter Experimental, or TFX, which emerged as the F-111, while the second was filled by a version of the U.S. Navy's F-4 Phantom II. [17] The A-X would be the first USAF aircraft designed exclusively for close air support. [124] In August 2013, Congress and the Air Force examined various proposals, including the F-35 and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle filling the A-10's role. The RFP also specified a maximum speed of 460 mph (400 kn; 740 km/h), takeoff distance of 4,000 feet (1,200 m), external load of 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg), 285-mile (460 km) mission radius, and a unit cost of US$1.4 million ($9.2 million today). OA-10s are physically unchanged and remain fully combat capable despite the redesignation. [133][134] Early the following year, the Air Force began studying future CAS aircraft to succeed the A-10 in low-intensity "permissive conflicts" like counterterrorism and regional stability operations, admitting that the F-35 would be too expensive to operate in day-to-day roles. General Electric didn’t simply scale up its 20-millimeter M61 Vulcan system, as that would have resulted in a gun that far exceeded the Air Force’s maximum weight requirement. General Electric’s promotional material is careful to generically describe the depleted uranium as a “heavy metal.”. [109], A-10s flew 32 percent of combat sorties in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. At 1,200 meters, 80 percent of the rounds an A-10 fires struck within a 12-meter impact zone. The Air Force determined that it was not economically feasible to retrofit earlier planes with this modification. at RAF Holbeach bomb range in Norfolk, August 2011. The requirements now included that the aircraft would be designed specifically for the 30 mm rotary cannon. Fairchild mounted the YA-10's cannon slightly to port, with the firing barrel indexing on the starboard side at the nine o’clock position. The unusual location of the General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofan engines decreases ingestion risk, and allows the engines to run while the aircraft is serviced and rearmed by ground crews, reducing turn-around time. [83] Many A-10s also featured a false canopy painted in dark gray on the underside of the aircraft, just behind the gun. In practice, pilots fire in one-to-two-second bursts in order to conserve ammunition and extend barrel life. As a result an alternative was found — depleted uranium, a by-product of the enrichment of uranium for nuclear power reactors. The A-10's fuel tanks are self-sealing and the aircraft can be flown in a so-called “manual reversion mode” if its hydraulics or avionics are damaged. This Gatling Titanium Gun Fires Over 3,000 Rounds a Minute! [Note 1] The wheels of the main landing gear partially protrude from their nacelles when retracted, making gear-up belly landings easier to control and less damaging. Soon the AH-1 Cobra was introduced. Soon after, the Air Force determined that the real-world A-10 fleet fatigue was more harsh than estimated, forcing them to change their fatigue testing and introduce "spectrum 3" equivalent flight-hour testing. The flight, performed at Eglin Air Force Base, used a 1:1 blend of JP-8 and Camelina-based fuel. It typically flies at a relatively low speed of 300 knots (3… While the F-111 was the Air Force’s most successful tank-destroyer during the Gulf War, the A-10 was the leading close-air-support aircraft. The A-10A single-seat variant was the only version produced, though one pre-production airframe was modified into the YA-10B twin-seat prototype to test an all-weather night capable version. ", "NSF to Turn Tank Killer Into Storm Chaser", Dept. A-10 Warthog Gun Run - 30mm Gatling Gun - Close air support demostration. ", "U.S. Air Force Deploys APKWS Laser-Guided Rockets on F-16s", "Lockheed Martin AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny laser tracker. The A-X program called for an inexpensive aircraft with good low-speed maneuverability, long loiter time and an emphasis on survivability and firepower. [6] Design efforts for tactical aircraft focused on the delivery of nuclear weapons using high-speed designs like the F-101 Voodoo and F-105 Thunderchief. A-10 Warthog Live Fire • JTAC Training • Brrrrrrt! The GAU-8 has seven independent barrels with rotary-locking bolts that are mechanically actuated. - YouTube Follow. [20], Two YA-10 prototypes were built in the Republic factory in Farmingdale, New York, and first flown on 10 May 1972 by pilot Howard "Sam" Nelson. 7:28. March, eds. Dalton Shrader. Flight without hydraulic power uses the manual reversion control system; pitch and yaw control engages automatically, roll control is pilot-selected. [61] During ground taxi, the offset front landing gear causes the A-10 to have dissimilar turning radii. One engagement saw two A-10s destroy 23 Iraqi tanks between them. The N/AW version did not interest the USAF or export customers. [23], One experimental two-seat A-10 Night Adverse Weather (N/AW) version was built by converting an A-10A. On 22 December, a Requirements Action Directive was issued for the A-X CAS airplane,[14] and the Attack Experimental (A-X) program office was formed. A-10 Warthog Gun Run - 30mm Gatling Gun - Close air support demostration. A-10 Warthog firing gatling gun! Every bit of your senses are just maxed out when you’re firing the gun. Let's suppose the aircraft is in level flight with no acceleration in any direction. However, this aircraft doubled in cost with demands for an upgraded engine and new avionics. During Desert Storm, in the absence of dedicated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras for night vision, the Maverick's infrared camera was used for night missions as a "poor man's FLIR". ", "U.S. Afterward, the Serbs agreed to return remaining heavy weapons. 5–24. It boasts approximately 60 percent of the radioactivity of naturally-occurring uranium. Aug 13, 2018 - Awesome A-10 Warthog in Action / Firing the Dreaded. "Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II", This page was last edited on 1 February 2021, at 21:39. While a capable aircraft for its era, with a relatively large payload and long loiter time, the propeller-driven design was also relatively slow and vulnerable to ground fire. Browse more videos. The aircraft can loiterfor extended periods and operate under 1,000-foot (300 m) ceilings with 1.5-mile (2.4 km) visibility. The first production A-10 flew in October 1975, and deliveries commenced in March 1976. [123] In 2012, the Air Force considered the F-35B STOVL variant as a replacement CAS aircraft, but concluded that the aircraft could not generate sufficient sorties. Follow. Suite 8 software includes IFF Mode 5, which modernizes the ability to identify the A-10 to friendly units. The two most common markings applied to the A-10 have been the European I woodland camouflage scheme and a two-tone gray scheme. [1] Deployments of A-10As followed at bases both at home and abroad, including England AFB, Louisiana; Eielson AFB, Alaska; Osan Air Base, South Korea; and RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge, England. [110], In the USAF's FY 2015 budget, the service considered retiring the A-10 and other single-mission aircraft, prioritizing multi-mission aircraft; cutting a whole fleet and its infrastructure was seen as the only method for major savings. [90] In the FAC role, the OA-10 is typically equipped with up to six pods of 2.75 inch (70 mm) Hydra rockets, usually with smoke or white phosphorus warheads used for target marking. The attacks were part of an intensification of the U.S.-led intervention against ISIL called Operation Tidal Wave II (named after Operation Tidal Wave during World War II, a failed attempt to raid German oil fields) in an attempt to cut off oil smuggling as a source of funding for the group. In September 1966, the Air Force launched the Attack-Experimental program. First unit to become operational with the A-10. The second change in production, starting with aircraft #442, was to increase the thickness of the lower skin on the outer wing panels. [34], An independent review of the HOG UP program at this point concluded that the data on which the wing upgrade relied could no longer be trusted. ", Pentagon Unveils Program to Help Build 6th Generation Fighter, Air Force considering A-10 replacement for future close air support, One-week study re-affirms A-10 retirement decision: USAF, "USAF rules out international A-10 sales", A-10 replacement? Its secondary mission is to provide forward air controller-airborne support, by directing other aircraft in attacks on ground targets. [79] A-10s usually fly with an ALQ-131 ECM pod under one wing and two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under the other wing for self-defense. ", "A Higher-Tech Hog: The A-10C PE Program. Any interior surface of the tub directly exposed to the pilot is covered by a multi-layer nylon spall shield to protect against shell fragmentation. The GAU-8 Avenger is one impressive weapon system and the foundation of the A-10 Warthog, despite its age, won’t go away anytime soon. [89] In 1987, many A-10s were shifted to the forward air control (FAC) role and redesignated OA-10. If the bullets are 15.3 meters apart while the gun is motionless, wouldn't they also be 15.3 meters apart if the gun were traveling at 100 km/h? [111], In March 2011, six A-10s were deployed as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the coalition intervention in Libya. General Electric has produced 770 GAU-8 cannons for both A-10s and the Goalkeeper systems. 5-33, 5–49. Playing next. Call Of Duty: Black Ops - Gun Game on Firing Range (High Roller - 1st Place) … A single A-10 was shot down near Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi fire late in the campaign. ", "Sustaining Systems Engineering: The A-10 Example (Based on A-10 Systems Engineering Case Study)", "Boeing Awarded $2 Billion A-10 Wing Contract. [13], The Cobra was a quickly made helicopter based on the UH-1 Iroquois, and in the late 1960s the U.S. Army was also designing the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne, a much more capable attack aircraft with greater speed. : SAM, aircraft, flak, MANPAD, etc.) Between 11 and 27 rounds would destroy a tank. The armor makes up almost six percent of the aircraft's empty weight. The A/A49E-6 Gun System doesn’t eject spent casings from the aircraft, instead they cycle back into the drum magazine and, later, the ground crew unloads them. Also included is the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) to provide sensor data to personnel on the ground. The 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger rests in the front of the aircraft. A-10 Warthog Gun Run. : F-35 has plenty of support in Congress. General Electric developed two types of ammunition based on Oerlikon’s 30-by-173-millimeter 304 RK round. Following the end of the Cold War, and based on experience during the 1991 Gulf War, the air-to-air threat was no longer seen to be as important as that from ground fire, and a new color scheme known as "Compass Ghost" was chosen to minimize visibility from below. The initial, sharp sound is the bullets going supersonic and the secondary, growling sound is sound of the actual firing arriving later. I'm now wondering how fast airspeed actually decreases when firing the gun. The aircraft receiving this upgrade were redesignated A-10C. 283 modernized A-10Cs remain in service with the active Air Force and Air National Guard. The skin is not load-bearing, so damaged skin sections can be easily replaced in the field, with makeshift materials if necessary. The F-35 Is a $1.4 Trillion National Disaster, The ‘Parsley Massacre’ Is a Chilling Example of How Quickly a Genocide Can Unfold, I Crafted a Playlist to Avoid Heartbreak Before It Happened. [54] The ailerons are at the far ends of the wings for greater rolling moment and have two distinguishing features: The ailerons are larger than is typical, almost 50 percent of the wingspan, providing improved control even at slow speeds; the aileron is also split, making it a deceleron. The prevalence of guided munitions allow more aircraft to perform the CAS mission and reduces the requirement for specialized aircraft; since 2001 multirole aircraft and bombers have performed 80 percent of operational CAS missions. The sturdy landing gear, low-pressure tires and large, straight wings allow operation from short rough strips even with a heavy aircraft ordnance load, allowing the aircraft to operate from damaged airbases, flying from taxiways, or even straight roadway sections. By Jamie Hunter January 26, 2021 The War Zone ", "F-35B cannot generate enough sorties to replace A-10", "USAF Weighs Scrapping KC-10, A-10 Fleets. Of the plans explored, replacing the wings with new ones was the least expensive, with an initial cost of $741 million, and a total cost of $1.72 billion over the life of the program. Playing next. The helicopter was effective, and prompted the U.S. military to change its defensive strategy in Europe by blunting any Warsaw Pact advance with anti-tank helicopters instead of the tactical nuclear weapons that had been the basis for NATO's battle plans since the 1950s. [97][98] The A-10 had a mission capable rate of 95.7 percent, flew 8,100 sorties, and launched 90 percent of the AGM-65 Maverick missiles fired in the conflict. The Air Force also said that the A-10 was more vulnerable to advanced anti-aircraft defenses, but the Army replied that the A-10 had proved invaluable because of its versatile weapons loads, psychological impact, and limited logistics needs on ground support systems. The GAU-8 is a hydraulically driven seven-barrel rotary cannon designed specifically for the anti-tank role with a high rate of fire. A-10 Warthog, the flying gun. The GAU-8 has seven barrels and was, upon its introduction, capable of firing up to 4,200 rounds per minute, but the Air Force downgraded it to a still-impressive 3,900 rounds per minute. [37][38] In November 2011, two A-10s flew with the new wings fitted. For the campaign against Taliban and Al Qaeda, A-10 squadrons were deployed to Pakistan and Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, beginning in March 2002. [101] In August 1995, NATO launched an offensive called Operation Deliberate Force. [11] Sprey's discussions with Skyraider pilots operating in Vietnam and analysis of aircraft used in the role indicated the ideal aircraft should have long loiter time, low-speed maneuverability, massive cannon firepower, and extreme survivability;[11] possessing the best elements of the Ilyushin Il-2, Henschel Hs 129, and Skyraider. The 81st TFW of RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge operated rotating detachments of A-10s at four bases in Germany known as Forward Operating Locations (FOLs): Leipheim, Sembach Air Base, Nörvenich Air Base, and RAF Ahlhorn. 354. [63][64] The armor has been tested to withstand strikes from 23 mm cannon fire and some strikes from 57 mm rounds. These A-10s participated in Operation Anaconda.