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In any war with North Korea, the A-10 is a powerful weapon
Asia Times ^ | JANUARY 25, 2018 | STEPHEN BRYEN

Posted on 01/26/2018 8:58:53 PM PST by Leaning Right

The much-maligned A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack airplane could prove to be a savior if fighting breaks out with North Korea. However, the US Air Force wants to get rid of the plane, and is not asking for funds to fix the wings on some 100 A-10s, which therefore may end up in the scrap yard.

(Excerpt) Read more at atimes.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: a10
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The A-10 as a key component in an attack on North Korea...what do you think?
1 posted on 01/26/2018 8:58:53 PM PST by Leaning Right
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To: Leaning Right
What is this crap about "much-maligned?"

Only "speed freaks" don't appreciate the sheer amount of whoop-ass that the Warthog can deliver.

2 posted on 01/26/2018 9:00:36 PM PST by Lysandru
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To: Leaning Right

If war is the process of killing people and breaking things, the A-10 is the instrument that does the killing.


3 posted on 01/26/2018 9:03:35 PM PST by allendale (.)
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To: Lysandru

Much-maligned by military hating liberals.


4 posted on 01/26/2018 9:06:46 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo (MAGA!!!)
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To: Leaning Right

I think that may be why McCain doesn’t like the plane...


5 posted on 01/26/2018 9:07:17 PM PST by gov_bean_ counter (Free Republic has been reduced to primarily a gathering place for the inane, banal, and obtuse.)
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To: Leaning Right

Somehow I don’t see “any war” with NK as being a tank-killing and anti-materiel type of exercise but I am not an expert in these things.

Yes, there are lots of artillery tubes clustered around the border but they are probably well hidden.

I would imagine that NK has good numbers of older AA guns and those could chew up A-10s pretty well.


6 posted on 01/26/2018 9:18:33 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (Apoplectic is where we want them.)
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To: Leaning Right

If the Air Farce doesn’t want them, give them to the Marine Corps or the Army.


7 posted on 01/26/2018 9:24:39 PM PST by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Gone but not forgiven.)
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To: Leaning Right

If the Air Force can’t be bothered with it, the Marines would love to have the A-10.


8 posted on 01/26/2018 9:25:07 PM PST by null and void (The Martians fought global warming, all the plants died and the surface water froze solid...)
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To: Leaning Right

Give them to the Army if the Air Force won’t fly them.


9 posted on 01/26/2018 9:25:33 PM PST by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: reg45

A bit faster than half a minute...


10 posted on 01/26/2018 9:26:25 PM PST by null and void (The Martians fought global warming, all the plants died and the surface water froze solid...)
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To: Leaning Right
The Army should operate all ground support aircraft for it’s needs. The Air Force’s job should be strictly air superiority and Strategic bombing. Let the Army decide what type aircraft they need.
11 posted on 01/26/2018 9:29:46 PM PST by MCF (If my home can't be my Castle, then it will be my Alamo.)
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To: Leaning Right

Korea is steep hills, scrub foliage, limited square miles and a super dense metropolis just miles from the DMZ. The A-10, without dispute, is the perfect CAS platform, but it would have limits in that terrain.


12 posted on 01/26/2018 9:34:53 PM PST by lurk
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To: Leaning Right

Granted all I’ve ever seen of the A-10 is from watching TV programs about it, but all I’ve ever seen about it was that it was built to be extremely practical and tough. It can run on one engine if the other gets blown off, it has manual control of flaps and ailerons in case electronic control gets severed. It’s ugly, and it does what it’s designed to do, air-to-ground combat, extremely well. That’s what they’ve all said.

It also looks like it would be one of the cheapest planes to maintain and fix because of that practical design. It seems like it would be a relative bargain to keep those planes ready to go, regardless of the nature of current perceived threats. Meanwhile, how many countless billions and billions of dollars have been spent trying to create the next generation of super-stealth fighter jet and how much does one of those cost? Probably one of them costs more than all the repairs on the 100 A-10s mentioned combined.

I don’t know if it’s a key component in the attack against North Korea or not, but it sure doesn’t seem like something worth scrapping even if it doesn’t get used.


13 posted on 01/26/2018 9:48:45 PM PST by According2RecentPollsAirIsGood
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To: lurk

You kidding? That kind of terrain is the bread and butter of the Warthog. It thrives in low and slow, hiding in valleys, popping in and out of hills and mountains, etc.


14 posted on 01/26/2018 10:06:09 PM PST by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: Leaning Right

I was on active duty just before the A-10 was introduced. It was the answer to our prayers. The pilots, men or women, have iron balls. I want them at our troops’ back.


15 posted on 01/26/2018 10:06:24 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

“I would imagine that NK has good numbers of older AA guns and those could chew up A-10s pretty well.”

Like when the Stuka was withdrawn during the Battle of Britain, we will know the moment the A-10 has outlived it’s times. It’s a darned rugged aircraft. And AAA isn’t the problem so much as the shoulder fired missile. North Korea will be it’s last war.


16 posted on 01/26/2018 10:18:17 PM PST by Tallguy
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To: According2RecentPollsAirIsGood

Check this out....

https://www.military.com/defensetech/2018/01/02/saving-guys-ground-a-10-documentary-shows-stunning-mission.html

If this video doesn’t make you want to get on top of a mountain with a flag in one hand, a pissed off bald eagle on your shoulder and a Springfield M1A in your other hand ... MOVE!!!!

1. Nephew did a rotation in A’stan, in 2011, when they called in CAS, upon finding out that A-10s were on the way, they just waited. It has a very distinct sound and looks like nothing more than a, Meat-Eater when it’s in the air. He said that they would be able to listen in on the ‘intercepted comms’ from ‘haj’. When they heard that plane, it was over. Not another shot fired.

2. Now I’m working a contract with F16s. From talking to the mechanics and techie’s, while loyal to their planes, when the A-10 is mentioned the tone of the conversation changes. It goes from talking all the technical and fancy aspects of an unbelievable plane, the F-16, to the awesomeness of a Barroom Brawler - Street Fighter - Big Brother, the A-10. They did mention that one of the biggest problems facing the A-10 and keeping it in the air is that all the machines, “tooling”, has been scrapped and replaced for other jobs.

3. Let the AF have their F35s and drink with their pinkie’s sticking out. As other’s on this thread have said, give the A-10s to the Knuckledraggers in the Army and the Corps, so they can pass a bottle of whiskey and brawl.


17 posted on 01/26/2018 10:24:39 PM PST by qaz123
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To: null and void
In the early 90s, the Marine Corps did a serious evaluation to see if the A-10 could be made aircraft carrier capable (a requirement for all Marine Corps aviation). The short answer was no.

To make the air frame rigid enough to be able to use a aircraft carrier catapult, it added so much weight that it would severely limit its ability to carry munitions. Then they looked at developing a similar aircraft, but the effort never got enough traction.

18 posted on 01/26/2018 10:38:25 PM PST by fini
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To: Leaning Right

19 posted on 01/26/2018 10:41:34 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: DesertRhino

Saw a pair operating in north western Virginia mountains once. On foot I was higher than them, and it was BADASS!


20 posted on 01/26/2018 11:29:25 PM PST by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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