Yup..
Posted on 12/09/2014 9:00:06 AM PST by bkopto
The A-10 fighter jet, designed to kill Soviet tanks in Europe, made its reputation instead in America's Middle East wars. Now it's back in the region while its advocates fight off the Air Force's attempts to kill it.
A-10s from the Indiana National Guard arrived from Afghanistan last month at an air base in southwest Asia, where they will be used for missions against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Air Force officials said.
The plane, affectionately nicknamed the Warthog, is slow and ugly compared with the Air Force's other fighter jets, especially the stealthy, supersonic F-35 that is scheduled to replace it. But it's also heavily armed and armored, making it a deadly weapon in close-in combat against enemy ground forces and a welcome sight for friendly troops.
The Air Force says the A-10 is too old and not versatile enough to keep flying in a tight budget environment. Getting rid of the A-10 would save $4.2 billion over five years, the best value with the least loss of aircraft, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welch told the House Armed Services Committee in March.
But Senate and House negotiators agreed Dec. 2 to keep it flying at least through the end of fiscal 2015, forbidding the Air Force from taking it out of service.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Air Force generals hate it. Grunts love it.
Give them to the Army and Marines along with the pilots, support and budget.
notice how the “cost savings” figure keeps creeping up. Earlier estimates were at $3 billion, now it’s $4.5 billion.
bump
From all the stories I’ve read, particularly from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, whenever any US Army unit, even the Marines, were under heavy fire and the A-10s showed up they felt like they were reborn. One soldier said ‘’Having A-10s watching your back was like having your big brother show up in a street fight’’. The Iraqis were poop scared of the Warthog. They called it ‘’The Monster’’. The pencil pushers and bean-counters of the Pentagon should have their butts down range sometime taking fire from the crazy goat humpers. They’d be praying like hell for one of these bad boys to come and save them.
Realistically, that will never happen
Yup..
the A-10 is one big piece of a$$ kicking!
I saw those aircraft on ranges before the war - and saw what they did in Iraq once over there...so did the enemy...this aircraft is not to be pi$$ed off!
The USAF had better give some love to any airplane that flies since they AGS but a handfull of F-22s, some worn out F-15s and F-16s and early production run F-35s that can’t fly WAS.
The USN on the other hand has quite a few F-18s that still sort of smell new.
The Warthog should not only not be written out, it should be improved and kept in the inventory.
(I’ve flown fighters and trainers, but never had the opportunity to fly the A-10. It is one of two planes I’d like to try out. The other is the Mustang.)
And, of course, as previously stated...should you to be an enemy, never, EVER p*ss off a Warthog pilot.
Once again the journalistic community displays their excellent grasp of the facts.
The "A" designates it as and " Attack aircraft. If it was a fighter aircraft, it would be designated with an F eg F-15, F-22.
One airplane in the US inventory currently is co-designated an attack-fighter aircraft, the F/A-18.
It may seem trivial but credibility and competence is important in reporting. Ask Rolling Stone.
The Airforce has tried but the Army and Marines don't want the A-10 on their budget
Reading accounts of this aircraft and her pilots are amazing.
Coming back in to base with holes riddled throughout, seeing the pilot home safely, leaving behind scores of enemy armor smoldering in a heap of ruin.
Just gotta love the Warthog.
Beyond that sheer amount of whoop ass this thing can lay down, it literally is a flying tank. The amount of damage an A-10 can take and STILL make it back home is nothing short of amazing.
That is largely a myth that has repeated on and off by the media for 20+ years.
The truth is most Air Force generals and officers love the aircraft and completely understand its role is Close Air Support (CAS). The Air Force Chief of Staff (a 4 star), Mark Welsh, flew the A-10 and has spoken highly of the aircraft in every Congressional testimony.
Here is the ugly truth (one the American people largely refuse to accept) - the US military has been decimated by massive budget cuts (on top of Sequestration cuts as well) and unless Congress and the American people demand that it stops then the military simply cannot do everything that is asked of it.
The only way for the Air Force to come even close to "paying its bill" for the next 8 years of Sequestration cuts is to cut entire fleets of aircraft. Onesey Twosey cuts do not achieve the "savings" that Congress and Obama have demanded through sequestration.
But most Americans simply don't really care. They have their entitlement checks and EBT - and they don't want those cut.
Its actual designation; A10 Thunderbolt is a more accurate description of the way it goes about its mission, like a thunderbolt. Its a perfect aircraft for its intended purpose.
The A10 has such a slow stall speed that upon landing it looks like it’s just hanging there.
A truly amazing bird built like a tank.
The Air Force would be foolish and irresponsible to mothball those birds.
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