Posted on 01/26/2021 3:41:06 PM PST by DUMBGRUNT
I met a guy once who transitioned from F-16 to A-10’s when the NG air wing got changed.
I asked if it seemed to be a letdown? He told me he loved the A-10 more.
Couple that with even a golden BB hit with the 30MM and it would be enough to humble any Gen 4 fighter jock and maybe even a few Gen 5s.
The NVA proved that maneuverability beats brute force with MiG 17s and it is a lesson that needs to be re-learned each generation.
That is why the enemy will destroy all 243 of them with over the horizon missiles that travel 10 times faster than the A-10 can fly. And, the A-10 pilot will never even see them coming due to their speed so he will not have time to try to avoid them.
And there you have it. In a high end fight against a technologically advanced enemy, the A-10 is worseless.
Hmmm be a good airframe for navy to revamp in to a new Missileer
Douglas F6D Missileer
No matter what direction the A-10 still pulls a tighter circle at anything close excluding a harrier B and the A-4.
The Mig-21, F-5 and A-4 were about the same with the teen fighters, if you did not pull lead in half a circle in a F-16 you better change the type of fight. The A-10 would not fair well with the A-4. The all aspect sidewinder on the rail keeps most interceptors away from flights of A-10 with/without 4 ship F-15 protector.
Combined packages of the USAF keeps most flights safe.
The A-10 also carries Sidewinders as well as an Electronic CounterMeasure (ECM) pod to fool or jam incoming missiles.
I cannot tell you how broadly I smiled as the A-10 Warthog is my favorite military plane. I've read so much about it and having friends who were in Iraq for Operation Desert Storm and their stories about it, it's just stuck with me. I can remember pointing up in the sky and telling my two sons to look up at them.
Many people have no idea how redundant that plane actually is. Half its support systems can get knocked out and that plane will still get the pilot home safely. I've read accounts of half of a wing missing from an A-10 Warthog and it still making it home. Same for electronics systems getting knocked out and still getting its pilot home.
I've no idea who designed that plane, IMO they clearly had returning the pilot home safely in mind. So much to learn from the design and engineering of the A-10 Warthog.
I flew Air Combat USA with ACM trainers; dog fights are basically flown in an egg shape both vertically and horizontally and around 300kts. A Hog will also head down into ground clutter where the AIM can't see them.
That is a manly aircraft...
They train at Whiteman, here in Missouri. I wonder how many times I have been a target out in the field with a tractor???
Also, the cockpit is surrounded by a titanium "bathtub" to protect the pilot from ground fire.
It was designed to survive these:
A-10 will die BFR every time. It’s not worth squat against a first tier opponent.
A manly, masculine, manful aircraft indeed.
Yep, I remember that. What a great purpose built plane!
You've missed the point entirely of what an A-10 Warthog was built for.
Nope, I know exactly what it was built for and it excels at that. I was a member of the Flying Tigers during the first Gulf War and I saw what it can do and how it was limited.
“Many people have no idea how redundant that plane actually is. Half its support systems can get knocked out and that plane will still get the pilot home safely. “
And do not overlook the titanium bathtub the pilot sits in, to protect from ground fire.
“It can take far more than a 0.50 cal round. A 0.50 cal round is about 12.7mm. The bathtub has been tested (and proven in combat) to withstand up to 57mm explosive rounds.”
A long wait in an airport, I purchased a magazine totally about the A-10.
And I learned many fun things.
Nice find!
Thanks.
Shot the 30mm at targets at 12,000 feet. Accurately.
Punched through light armor with training rounds and not the armor piercing round.
Can shoot farther if needed on the ground or A/A.
A/A can engage with the gun much farther than the 20mm pop-gun.
More tomorrow.
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