Posted on 02/12/2015 6:12:12 PM PST by george76
European Command said this week that 12 A-10 Thunderbolts would be deployed to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which was formed after Russia's intervention in Ukraine over the past year.
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The Air Force said besides operating in Germany, the A-10s will be forward deployed to other partner nations in Eastern Europe. U.S. forces have operated out of bases in Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Poland, among others, in the past year.
The A-10, also known as the "Warthog," was designed in the 1970s to support ground troops in Europe against the tanks and armored vehicles of the then-Soviet Union. Though the jets can carry a variety of bombs and missiles, they are best known for their nose-mounted, seven-barrel 30 mm Gatling gun that can fire almost 4,000 rounds per minute, enough to quickly blow apart a tank. The planes are also durable, with the pilot protected from ground fire by a wrapping of titanium often called "the bathtub." And they are designed for easy maintenance in battlefield areas, with interchangeable parts for the right and left sides of the aircraft.
Those capabilities have been battle-proven in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans.
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Despite its current usefulness, the A-10 is on the Defense Department's chopping block, with the Air Force wanting to turn over the jet's ground support mission to its newest fighter, the F-35.
(Excerpt) Read more at kcra.com ...
They should just give the A10s to the Army since the Air Force has never really wanted them.
Impossible
I have it on good authority that A-10s are hopelessly outdated and that only an F-35 or equivalent can go up against 1970s era Soviet tanks.
Good authority, I tell you.
This is vague isn’t it. Where did they pull the A-10’s from? Seems to me they would have to have pulled them from the duty against ISIS in Iraq. That would send alarms to me that Obama wasn’t pleased with the A-10’s performance against his Muzzie buds. Otherwise I can’t figure this story out.
Hopefully some kind FReeper will step up, and explain this story in a way I can comprehend what the ‘H’ is going on.
The A-10, the plane that will not die... Because it is too good! The F-35 cover for the Wart Hog? Nonsense.
There is an A-10 wing based in Connecticut at Bradley International. Perhaps they were deployed from there.
There are A-10s based at Whiteman AFB in mid-Missouri.
I am no expert but I live outside Tucson, where they are stationed, and we are very concerned about this plane. Nothing has replaced it. And nothing is quite like it on the drawing boards.
The A-10 moves at the right speed, so that that in the canyons and hiddie-holes in the mountains of the Middle East, the gunmen on board can take their shot. The other plane goes too fast past the target.
Lots of our military owe their lives to this plane for close cover support. There are many stories where this plane came to their aid and rescue.
I agree that we should give this plane to the Army, because they want it, the Air Force wants to abandon it. And one tactic they have is to deploy it away from the US to Germany, where it will not be replaced.
If this topic concerns you, please listen weekdays to 104.1 FM in Tucson,the James T. Harris show. He addresses this potential loss weekly. The A-10 means so much to the war we are fighting and for the continued viability of Southern Arizona for the military base, Davis Mothan and our local economy.
I love the sound of this gun.
I call it “God’s zipper” :)
This is scary.
The Air Force wants to use aircraft costing ten times as much for a basic air support job?
I agree.
Not only transfer the A-10s to the army, but start up the assembly line to produce more, so that the incompetent CIC (Coward-In-Chief) can actually find and kill the ISIL koranimals running all over the Syria Iraq border... having daily parades with captured US equipment.
Find them an kill them all!
You know, to me the F-35 sounds like an institutionalized/engineered planned obsolescence
— like they took a look at the M-16 and how much has been thrown at that platform because of its inherent deficiencies and they said: you know what, we should make a plane like that!
WE need to build more A-10s!
And the loser Secy of the Air Force wants to get rid of the A-10s as does Secy Def. Hagel.
Same mentality as those who didn’t believe that Billy Mitchell’s use of aircraft to sink a battle-cruiser meant anything in the future of warfare.
Some of our military leaders are total incompetents and should be cashiered ASAP.
I think the A-10 and the AC-130 Spectre share a common attribute.
They both pack a real punch but they also have glass jaws. Both fly low and slow.
I know they have defenses and the A-10 has all kinds of redundancy as well as all the titanium protecting the pilot. A hit by a missile or a large AA will still bring them down.
That is why the Spectre flies mostly at night.
Active Duty ping.
Davis Monthan and Moody still have some active duty squadrons.
FReeper Hulka can help you out. He is either a current ‘Hog Driver, (or recently Retired iirc.), and has great responses to all things A-10 and related.
Warthogs are good but only if you control the air—if the sky is full of Mig-35s their life will be a short one. Lets pray that Ukraine isn’t the start of a general war between US and Russia. It isn’t worth it. How many millions of Russians and Americans need to die before defending a few corrupt Ukrainians is worth the price.
That's been seriously considered before, back in the late 80s and early 90s. Here's one of the White Papers that outlined the transfer and proposed operational organization under the US Army.
It should have been done then. I can't possibly say enough good things about this aircraft, both as an Army infantryman and an Army aviator. It is an awesome platform that does exactly what is was designed to do.
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