It was...looking across the Fulda Gap, the Air Force needed something that could kill lots of Soviet tanks, cheaply and efficiently. With its high rate of fire, large ammo capacity and depleted uranium rounds, the GAU-8 30mm gun was the ideal solution. It was designed by GE (which won a competition with Philco-Ford), but support for the program is now provided through a division of General Dynamics.
One of the more interesting notes on the GAU-8/A-10 program is how an Air Force Colonel saved the service billions of dollars on ammunition. Forty years ago, the Air Force announced it was willing to pay up to $80 a round for GAU-8 DU rounds.
A Colonel named Bob Dilger was working on the program at the time and thought that proposal was nuts. Breaking most of DoD’s contracting rules, he told the two competing contractors that he would give the annual A-10 ammo contract to the firm that could deliver the cheapest and most reliable rounds. With hundreds of millions of dollars on the line each year, the contractors began to undercut each other to get the contract. At one point, the Air Force was paying less than $10 a round for A-10 ammo, a genuine bargin.
For his efforts, Dilger was passed over for Brigadier General and retired as an O-6. He also ran into a bit of trouble back in the 80s; demonstrating 30mm anti-tank gun at the Pentagon, the weapon discharged and destroyed a pump at a nearby gas station. Misdemeanor charges against him were later dropped.
The Air Force has always hated the A-10, but they can’t find anything that can replace it. Also, the notion that the Hawg is easy meat for other fighters is a bit far-fetched. I participated in a couple of Red Flags where A-10s claimed valid kills against F-16s or F-18s that tried to get low and slow with them. In both cases, the “real” fighter pilot couldn’t get a radar track on the A-10 (due to terrain) and couldn’t get a tone for their AIM-9 (because of reflected heat off the desert). Meanwhile, the A-10 got a gun track on the fast mover and called a “Fox-8”
“He also ran into a bit of trouble back in the 80s; demonstrating 30mm anti-tank gun at the Pentagon, the weapon discharged and destroyed a pump at a nearby gas station. Misdemeanor charges against him were later dropped.”
Don’t know about that. When I flew the Hog we heard a steroy about a guy having a barrel and round. . .without permission, and accidently discharges the weapon on civiv street somewhere and hit a gass station. Demonstrating a 30mm round at the Pentagon? Please explain that as the Pentagon is an office building surrounded by parking lots and buildings and is not a range.
“The Air Force has always hated the A-10, but they can’t find anything that can replace it.”
True.
“Also, the notion that the Hawg is easy meat for other fighters is a bit far-fetched. I participated in a couple of Red Flags where A-10s claimed valid kills against F-16s or F-18s that tried to get low and slow with them.”
I have too, as well as gun kills against the F-18.
“In both cases, the “real” fighter pilot couldn’t get a radar track on the A-10 (due to terrain) and couldn’t get a tone for their AIM-9 (because of reflected heat off the desert).”
Of course, you do know AIM-9’s can now lock on and track even hot cars on the highway and with AMRAAMs don’t jam off on ground clutter, not with the radars we have now.
“Fox 8?” Never heard of that. Always called “Guns, guns, guns” as a kill call. (We didn’t usually call “FOX 4” because we were NOT going to use a bombers termonology.)