One of the most iconic airplanes in the u.s air force's flying inventory is
the A-10 Thunderbolt, also affectionately known as the warthog. designed to
mow down rows of invading soviet tanks during World War II.
A-10s flew 7983 combat missions during the course of the war, killing 987
tanks, 926 artillery pieces, 1,355 armored vehicles 10 aircraft on the
ground and even two flying helicopters shot down with the gowie day.
The A-10 had earned a reputation as a close air support workhorse among
infantry troops for the distinctive roar of its galilee avenger gatling gun.
The A-10 warthog ground attack jet already in the process of receiving new
wings, is also set for a series of improvements including new weapons,
cockpit upgrades, and helmet mounted controls.
The A-10 common fleet initiative will keep the aircraft alive and incredible
into the future. The US air force currently has 281.810 so needs to have
these available if the call comes for higgin conflict. from a survivability
perspective, the a-10 can move outside some of the threats if its pilots use
standoff weapons from longer ranges.
The A-10 can then act as a truck that sends weapons in softening the target
area before swinging into its more traditional mission.
Adding the boeing GBU-39 small diameter bomb started this summer and this
gives the A-10 that new standoff capability. with a new multi-target
engagement capability, the warthog will theoretically be able to target 18
weapons individually, making it a unique aircraft that fits well into the
fourth and fifth generation mix.
The initiative will keep the warthog relevant as a tank killing ground
attack aircraft, even as the air defenses of high-tech adversaries become
deadlier than ever. One of the most important is the incorporation of the
GBU-39 small diameter bomb.
The GBU-39 is a 250-pound high-explosive bomb fitted with wings and a
guidance system, allowing it to engage individual ground targets at ranges
up to 40 miles. The warthog can carry up to 18 GBU-39s, theoretically giving
it the ability to engage up to 18 different targets.
The improvements are part of the A-10 common fleet initiative. the
improvements include standoff bombs that destroy enemy air defense systems
at a distance.
Upgraded a-10s coupled with unmanned aerial vehicles could work together to
suppress enemy air defenses and bomb tank columns. UAV could be used to
locate enemy air defenses such the russian tor and Pantsir S1 short-range
air defense weapons before being shot down, passing on the coordinates of
those weapons to A-10 cruise.
The A-10s in turn could then unleash gpu-39s against those weapons, before
closing in and engaging enemy tanks and armored vehicles with AGM-65
maverick missiles, high-explosive bombs and of course the GAU-80 avenger 30
millimeter seven barrel gatling gun.
The initiative could also include link 16 date links for sharing information
with friendly forces and a synthetic aperture radar pod capable of scanning
the ground and identifying tanks and armored vehicles at night and through
adverse weather such as clouds or fog.
The A-10 thunderbolt is unlike any fighter before or since with
survivability features designed to keep it flying during an attack run and
make it back to base.
The plane featured redundant engineering features designed to keep the plane
flying, though parts of it were shot away. The two general electric TF-34
non-afterburning turbofans were moved behind the wing in order to reduce the
plane's infrared signature and protect it from soviet air defenses such as
the SA-7 grail shoulder fired surface-to-air missile system.
The A-10 thunderbolt 2's best attribute is its armament. the aircraft has 11
external hardpoints for carrying electronic countermeasures, fuel tanks,
bombs and missiles.
The A-10 can carry up to 24,500 pound bombs, four two thousand pound bombs
are six AGM-65 maverick air to ground missiles. this enables the 810 to
carry out a number of frontline missions from close air support to
suppression of enemy air defense and strike key enemy targets such as fuel
storage depots, radar installations and field headquarters.
The weapon that sets the A-10 apart from the rest of the aircraft world is
the nose-mounted GAU-80 cannon. The large 7-barrel gatling gun can fire
armor-piercing rounds at up to 4200 rounds per minute saturating a target
area with lethal cannon fire.
The GAU-88 was an effective weapon for strafing soviet armor units advancing
in a single file formation, particularly with specially developed tank
killing depleted uranium ammunition, even armor-piercing ammunition without
depleted uranium could penetrate CSU-234 mobile air defense systems BTR-70
wheeled armored personnel carriers and in bmp2 infantry fighting vehicles
that made up advancing soviet motor rifle regiments, all of which could be
opened by the gauay day-like cans of sardines.
The A-10 is one of the most successful weapons of the post-cold warrior and
has won legions of fans both in and outside the armed services.