Posted on 09/01/2018 4:08:30 PM PDT by huldah1776
More than a third of the service’s Warthogs risked retirement without new wings.
It's official: The U.S. Air Force will buy new wings for aging A-10 Warthogs that risked a one way trip to the boneyard. The Air Force has made clear its intention to keep the A-10 flying after concerns surfaced that the service was taking advantage of the issue to get rid of the iconic close air support plane.
Earlier this month, a Pentagon official in charge of the A-10 program announced an effort to re-wing 110 of the jets “was not going to happen.” Of the 280 A-10s still in U.S. Air Force service, 173 have received new wings to keep them flying into the 2030s. The original re-winging contract with Boeing was for 242 sets of wings, but the contract ended when it was no longer cost-effective for the company, and the Boeing production line is closing later this year.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Col Jack Broughton, author of Thud Ridge and Going Downtown, was court-martialed by the Bomber Generals after destroying gun camera film from some fighters he directed to fire on some Soviet ships unloading SAMs in Hiphong harbor. These ships were firing on the f-105s with 40MM anti-aircraft guns! Yet the actual orders were to not shoot back so we wouldn’t have a war with the Soviets. Gawd...
It was wrong, but understandable. Anyway, he writes about his court-martial in Going Downtown. His friend Chuck Yeager served as the judge in the court-martial that found him guilty. Yeager later wrote it was a hard job to convict him, because he actually agreed with him. Broughton had his conviction overturned and expunged by Pres. Reagan years later.
Anyway Col Jack wrote that the Air Force PACAF commander, Gen “Three-fingered” Jack Ryan, scolded the USAF pilots in Vietnam, calling them pussies for not “just flying thru the SAMs like we did flak in WWII.” He advised them further to just fly higher on their “bomb runs”, just like WWII.
I love the A-10, but my FR handle derives from the 60’s cartoon character. Why screw around with a virtually perfect design unless you can do it better?? Seems to me that they ought to take the responsibility of operating A-10’s away from the Air Force, and give it to the Marines (who CAN fly fixed-wing aircraft, and understand the close-air-support role). Or just can the “rotary-wing-only” rule, and give it to the Army.
Duh, time for reading glasses...
Thanks for the correction. Incidentally, I’m unacquainted with the cartoon character. Would you be willing to post a link, or shall I find one?
The tub is titanium.
Perhaps there is a need coming up for CAS.
Area 51. Duh.
//sarc
“The tooling for the A10 is being cared for lovingly.”
Thank-you for that info. Good news!
Marines need carrier capable aircraft.
Given the native robustness of the A-10, I would think not a lot would be required to make it "carrier capable".
I had thought that it was already a relatively STOL aircraft.
Look! I will make this so simple, even a democRAT can understand it. The A-10 is STILL considered the best fighter of its class in the world. I am Retired Army, and went through Nam and Desert Storm (Yes, I’m that old) and seen the A-10 in action. We called it the flying fart killer and believe me. When you heard it fire that autocannon, you watched the destruction it caused and realized that the aircraft was (and still is) the best. Yes, it’s old, but it’s still the best at what it does and I applaud the Air Force for their actions.
Pilot sits in a titanium tub. The A-10 was designed to bring back the pilot no matter what!
V118 lawn darts?
Source please?
I heard it was destroyed by direct presidential order.
It is .... your correct.
Inhaling. I hate to say it but that was my first thought.
Thank God Trump is president.
I think they heard you, but it was probably still too complicated. :) Welcome HOME!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
