Posted on 01/11/2017 6:41:13 PM PST by SandRat
In another positive sign for the beloved A-10, Air Force maintainers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona have outfitted the Warthog with an upgrade for combat search and rescue missions (CSAR). Dubbed the lightweight airborne recovery system, the upgrade helps A-10 pilots "communicate more effectively with individuals on the ground such as downed pilots, pararescuemen and joint terminal attack controllers," according to an Air Force statement. Of all the fixed-wing aircraft in the US Air Force's inventory, no plane carries out CSAR missions like the A-10. CSAR missions jump off with little warning and often involve going deep into enemy territory, so becoming certified to perform CSAR missions takes tons of training, which only A-10 pilots undergo. The A-10's rugged survivability, massive forward firing power, newly acquired communication capabilities, and long loiter times at low altitudes make it ideal for flying low and slow and finding the lost person.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
You can be whatever you want, as long as you are also lethal.
I really hope the Air Force will retire the A-10!
(Said no Grunt ever)
Build thousands MORE of these birds
They should be the terror that anyone that messes with America will have to face . The next day !
I am so happy to hear this. We will need this killer in Raqqah very soon to kill these God damned Isis bastards by the thousands, Followed up with real bad Airborne Rangers , Delta and Seal MEN to butchering these gawdless bastards without inbed “News” queers. Go TRUMP!!
Like the Spad used in Korea & Vietnam...low, slow, and lotsa gomer-killing firepower.
Had an opportunity to do dissimilar air combat maneuvering against the Warthog, F-14 vs. A-10. Not an easy problem. A-10 making tight circles on the deck — similar with helos, difficult to get a high probability firing solution, and they can turn & point their nose quickly.
Go Warthogs!
I see what you did there. Too funny.
But seriously, I hope the new upgrades included updates to the calendar on the HUD that is used for an airspeed indicator.
Tooling gone destroyed by requirements of government contract.
What they really need to do is get rid of the stupid "fixed wing/rotary wing" bifurcation, and split it into "ground support" and "air superiority" missions. Give the A10's to the Army and Marines. The Air Force has always hated the "ground support" mission, seeing themselves as "dog-fighting jet jockeys".
Calendar?? Ladder maybe?
Best warplane ever! IMHO.
As an aside, the acronym must have elicited some grins somewhere, because in addition to Combat Search And Rescue, it also stood for the Center for Scientific Anomalies Research in Ann Arbor. They got a lot of government funding to figure out some way to use telepathy to communicate with nuclear submarines. It didn’t work, and served as an example of the waste of taxpayer dollars.
Interesting.
How about a tail-hook/carrier-qualled A10B? Navy and Marine pilots could really "project power" with such a new version, n'est ce pas?
Article is about converting A-10 to Combat Search and Rescue. Seems to me they should leave that role to choppers and retain the A-10s for their superb role in Close Air Support. Isn’t this dumbing down the capabilities of this fine combat aircraft?
Oh no! It had to make the dreaded 7 engine approach!
I wonder if its viable to attach a pair of 7.62 miniguns on pods under each wing.
Pretty sure this is for CAS for the CSAR chopper. And helping locate the downed aircrew for the latter.
Nothing says “we are here” like a warthog spitting 30mm depleted uranium rounds into your armor.
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