Great line...never worked with the Hawg, but knew plenty of folks who flew them, fixed them or supported them.
Spent most of my military days in TAC, ACC and PACAF, so I was a participant in numerous Red Flags. The A-10s always had their CAS war down low, while the “real men” (and women) in the F-16s, F-15s, Mud Eagles, F/A-18s, etc were pouring through the gap, heading downrange, or playing red air and defending the airspace.
One of the rules for red air was to leave the A-10s alone. Going after the Hawgs put you in their environment, low and slow and the tables could quickly turn. I remember sitting in a post-mission debrief where the entire mission was analyzed and the kills were verified. Some Navy Hornet driver just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go after an A-10. Watching the replay on the RFMDS, you could see the Hawg get inside the Hornet’s turn and the A-10 driver called “Fox-8” (first time I ever heard that one).
The debriefer called it a valid kill and I’ve never heard so much laughter and applause in my life. The Hornet driver was conspiciously absent in the Nellis O Club bar that night, and the A-10s didn’t have any more problems with the F/A-18s for the rest of that Red Flag
I'm unfamiliar w/ that one [Fox-8]; what's it mean?