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The Air Force Is Re-Winging A-10s After All [hoorah!]
Popular Mechanics ^ | January 29, 2018 | Kyle Mizokami

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 ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; History; Military/Veterans; Science
KEYWORDS: a10; af; military; warthogs
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To: Rebelbase

Highway to Hell!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l482T0yNkeo


81 posted on 09/02/2018 5:02:15 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Vote GOP this Novemmber. Take two friends to vote with you!)
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To: doorgunner69

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.


82 posted on 09/02/2018 5:14:45 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Vote GOP this Novemmber. Take two friends to vote with you!)
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To: grey_whiskers

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.


83 posted on 09/02/2018 5:43:07 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (The Hog of Steel and NRA Life Member)
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To: Squantos

Duh, time for reading glasses...


84 posted on 09/02/2018 5:59:41 AM PDT by mabarker1 (congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!!)
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To: Wonder Warthog

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?


85 posted on 09/02/2018 6:27:39 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: topher

The tub is titanium.


86 posted on 09/02/2018 6:46:58 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: huldah1776

Perhaps there is a need coming up for CAS.


87 posted on 09/02/2018 6:48:19 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: doorgunner69

Area 51. Duh.

//sarc


88 posted on 09/02/2018 6:51:13 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: buffaloguy

“The tooling for the A10 is being cared for lovingly.”

Thank-you for that info. Good news!


89 posted on 09/02/2018 6:52:32 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Consensus isn't science.)
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To: Wonder Warthog

Marines need carrier capable aircraft.


90 posted on 09/02/2018 6:53:34 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: grey_whiskers

Wikipedia has reasonable info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Wart-Hog


91 posted on 09/02/2018 7:25:52 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (The Hog of Steel and NRA Life Member)
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To: AFreeBird
"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.

92 posted on 09/02/2018 7:28:49 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (The Hog of Steel and NRA Life Member)
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To: huldah1776

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.


93 posted on 09/02/2018 9:15:41 AM PDT by RollingThunder (i LEFTIST = Lying Egotistical Fool Trusting Idiotic Socialist Tyranny)
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To: topher

Pilot sits in a titanium tub. The A-10 was designed to bring back the pilot no matter what!


94 posted on 09/02/2018 9:47:55 AM PDT by null and void (McCain is dead but his ego lives on.)
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To: Squantos

V118 lawn darts?


95 posted on 09/02/2018 9:51:22 AM PDT by null and void (McCain is dead but his ego lives on.)
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To: buffaloguy
The tooling for the A10 is being cared for lovingly.

Source please?

I heard it was destroyed by direct presidential order.

96 posted on 09/02/2018 9:53:24 AM PDT by null and void (McCain is dead but his ego lives on.)
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To: null and void

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/ERA77K/1st-april-1991-an-unexploded-mk-118-mod1-bomblet-from-a-cbu-100-cluster-ERA77K.jpg


97 posted on 09/02/2018 11:48:09 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet ...)
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To: mabarker1

It is .... your correct.


98 posted on 09/02/2018 11:49:34 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet ...)
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To: Vermont Lt

Inhaling. I hate to say it but that was my first thought.
Thank God Trump is president.


99 posted on 09/02/2018 12:38:50 PM PDT by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: RollingThunder

I think they heard you, but it was probably still too complicated. :) Welcome HOME!


100 posted on 09/02/2018 12:44:37 PM PDT by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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