A-10 Worthless POS

[SteadyMercury]

Slightly off-topic but related to close air support, neato = part of Marine Corps Harvest Hawk weapon system. Called a "derringer door" it allows a pressurized KC-130J to drop precision guided griffin missiles straight down in support of marines on the ground.

Gotta love multi-mission.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Niiiiiice!!!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERzT8KoVY7k]MUST SEE! KC-130J "Harvest Hawk" armed with 4 AGM-114 Hellfire and 10 Griffin Missiles! - YouTube[/ame]

 

[williepete]

Comparing the A-10's capabilities to a helicopter's and saying the A-10 comes up short is a bit of a stretch. Let me pick one attack helicopter, the Apache for comparison. The Apache has a respectable useful load of 1,700 pounds. The A-10 can lift 16,000 pounds of weapons on 11 external hard points. That's not including the 1350 rounds of 30mm held internally. The Apache has a 3 hour flight endurance with a max speed of 145 knots while the A-10 has an unrefueled range of 800 miles at 240-300 knots. With air refueling, the A-10 is limited only by the pilot's endurance.

Helicopters are far more vulnerable to ground fire. They are slower and remain in the engagement envelope longer and are mechanically more fragile. The A-10, while slow, is faster and built to take hits.

Bottom line: The Apache and the A-10 are built for similar but not the same missions. Both have very strong points. Both have unique capabilities. But comparing them is comparing apples to oranges. When I flew the A-10 in Korea, the combined use of A-10s and Apaches was a lethal deterrent. The Warthog was the nine pound sledge hammer while the Apache was the surgical tool. The Warthog could go deeper while the Apache made an excellent goal keeper. Together, an amazing pair. Now the Apache will have to go it alone.

I think the A-10 has proven itself and will be well remembered in retirement. Using fast movers to provide close air support involves certain problems. They can be overcome with practice, coordination and technology. So it will have to be.

 

[longknife]

Why the enemy hates this aircraft.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

http://www.youtube.com/v/_WlPJFncWXE&hl=en&fs=1
Why the enemy hates this aircraft.

Can you imagine being some afghan sitting on a mountain side and seeing this shit headed your way?
Kiss your ass goodbye and prepare to meet Allah Haji.

Gives me goose bumps.....but in a good way.

 

[longly]

If our God in heaven loves the USA he will keep the A-10 safe somewhere that we a get to it when we need it gaining. If I remember correctly the helicopter CAS in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan had to withdraw because of heavy enemy fire. It would have been nice if they had some A-10s.

 

[Mushroom]

Jealous Air Force brass wanted a plane that could do what army helos could do. It NEVER did what it was suppose to do, cold war ended, and if it had tried it would have been pounded by Soviet AA fire. It was slow, vulenarable and not easily replaced. Junk, the only ones that like it are people that fight battles in their dreams

Actually, that is so wrong it is hardly worth replying to.

The "Key West Agreement" is generally considered to be the divorce decree between the Army and the Army Air Corps. And in this and other agreements several very key requirements were placed upon the Air Force.

One of them was the requirement to provide for the Army a Close Air Support aircraft. And because of this, the Air Force was still flying the WWII era A1 Skyraider. But the plane in the last half of Vietnam was taking horrible losses, a total of 266 were shot down over Vietnam.

So because of this, the Air Force retired them and designed the A10 as a replacement. Nothing to do with "jealousy" at all, but it was a mandate that they provide such aircraft.

As for "survivability", we have had some A10s return to base with some pretty horrific battle damage. Maybe you should spend more time researching and less time making things up.

 

[westwall]

I found this video of what it's like to be on the receiving end of a jet strafe attack, sadly it's not an A-10 delivering the attack, but it is the only video I have seen from the targets POV.


LiveLeak.com - First Time Ever! Syrian Mig-29 Attacks Islamist Terrorists in Syria!

 

[longly]

Until there is something better that has proven itself to scrap the at A-10 is almost treasonous. I just don’t believe that a helicopter can take same punishments that the A-10 can.

 

[longknife]

McCain Blasts AF for Trying to Mothball the A-10

I normally don't agree with this RINO on anything! But, this is an exception.

“I’ve yet to meet, general, an Army commander whose responsibility is with the troops on the ground, that believes a B-1 or an F-16 replaces the capability of the A-10,” McCain said. “If you know of someone I’d be glad to meet and talk to them. Those are the ones whose judgment I rely on because they’re the ones whose people are in harm’s way.”

Read more @ Air Force, lawmakers clash over future of A-10 again | Air Force Times | airforcetimes.com

 

[Old Rocks]

The A-10, called the Maltese Cross by the Russians, is the most effective tank buster in the world. To retire this weapon without a similiar replacement is idiocy. It should be updated, made even tougher, and provide protection for our ground troops for many more decades. Like the old B-17, it can take an amazing amount of punishment, and the titanium tub around the pilot gives max protection to that warrior.

Not glamourous like fighter planes, but equally important, and a major plus for our infantry.

 

[Mr. H.]

A-10 aint broke so why fix it?

 

[Ringel05]

[...]

I guess the Brass in the Pentagon feels the A-10 and the Apache do essentially the same job and they don't want redundant weapons systems.

They're wrong. They're the same fucking geniuses that declared the day of the Dogfight was over when they produced the F4 without a Gun, only missiles.

Fucking Idiots. I swear to God, I think the higher these guys go, the higher they're promoted, the stupider they get.[...]

That's not it. These guys don't reach their level of success by being stupid. Some of these politicians in uniform get their marching orders from special interests within the Military Industrial Complex. They are told what to order on the basis of what is best for the industry -- not what's best for the troops or the taxpayers.

Consider what Colin Powell did when he was told to by his master, George W. Bush. Knowing what he said was false or extremely unlikely he deliberately and calculatedly sent thousands of the troops who trusted him to die or be maimed in Iraq.

It's okay folks, just some bad acid. He's been restrained (for his own good) and it's working it's way through his system. We can't guarantee the paranoia will disappear but we'll make the effort.

 

[Camp]

We should start producing them again. Of course, make some updates, but at the low cost, we could sell them to the east Euro former Soviet countries and flood east Euro with them. Be a good jobs program. Maybe create some two for one deals, include a modified A-1 and cut down on that big parking lot in the desert.

 

[Mushroom]

We should start producing them again. Of course, make some updates, but at the low cost, we could sell them to the east Euro former Soviet countries and flood east Euro with them. Be a good jobs program. Maybe create some two for one deals, include a modified A-1 and cut down on that big parking lot in the desert.

Really? A "big parking lot" of A-1 Skyraiders in the desert?

I could only find 18 of them myself.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.1657834,-110.8600379,471m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[westwall]

We should start producing them again. Of course, make some updates, but at the low cost, we could sell them to the east Euro former Soviet countries and flood east Euro with them. Be a good jobs program. Maybe create some two for one deals, include a modified A-1 and cut down on that big parking lot in the desert.

Really? A "big parking lot" of A-1 Skyraiders in the desert?

I could only find 18 of them myself.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.1657834,-110.8600379,471m/data=!3m1!1e3

Damn....look at all those F-4's....

 

[Mushroom]

Damn....look at all those F-4's....

I have been to D-M many times over the years. Always a fun experience.

 

[Camp]

We should start producing them again. Of course, make some updates, but at the low cost, we could sell them to the east Euro former Soviet countries and flood east Euro with them. Be a good jobs program. Maybe create some two for one deals, include a modified A-1 and cut down on that big parking lot in the desert.

Really? A "big parking lot" of A-1 Skyraiders in the desert?

I could only find 18 of them myself.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.1657834,-110.8600379,471m/data=!3m1!1e3

Sorry, I meant A 1 ABRAMS. Some modifications and they could make great tanks for the Euro's and we have a surplus. Surprised you found 18 Skyraiders. Any of them still use by any military. I know they were using Gooney Birds until the 80's and I've been told a few are still being used in some South American militaries.
Looks like maybe a hand full of Skyraiders are flight worthy, but all of them at museums, none in operation.

 

[williepete]

Here's an old documentary some of you Warthog lovers might like.

 

[Navy1960]

Let's see if I can understand this, the Op doesn't like the A-10 and claims that perhaps the AH-64 or perhaps the AH-1 would be a good replacement for it. Well let's consider this for a moment, if I were to take a Russian 23MM and hit the A-10 several times and it keeps hitting back and flys home, and the consider the fact the AH-64 and the AH-1 can be brought down with small arms fire the OP's quote is somewhat off the mark. These same kinds of comments though are the some of the logic you hear from the Air Force and the Navy who made claims about how inexpensive the F-35 was going to be and how it will b outperform anything in the air, it's pretty clear for a stealth aircraft that has trouble flying in the rain, and cost as much as a F-22 those claims were somewhat fabricated. In the end you want to know about the warthog, just ask the man on the ground what he thinks of it, you will get a universal love for it's hard hitting power and ability to clear an enemy and save many lives.