[nikos1121]

I’m rather baffled why the plane is so effective. You would think since it’s slower, ground to air hand held missiles could easily destroy it.

The plane is not apparently the choice of going into areas where you ICBMs, but at low altitudes I would think it comes up on the target in a nano second and people scatter...

anyone have any video of it in action?

[Blood of Tyrants]

It wouldn’t be effective in against an enemy that has good anti-aircraft coverage.

[sparklite2]

“I’m rather baffled why the plane is so effective. You would think since it’s slower, ground to air hand held missiles could easily destroy it.”

According to the article, the titanium underbelly of the warthogs rendered the hand held missiles ineffective.

[piytar]

It is so effective because it’s cannon is awesome and it is about impossible to shoot down. A10s have landed with an entire wing blown off.

Cheap. Proven. Effective. So oof course the Pentagon wants to scrap it.

[Carriage Hill]

Plenty of footage to choose from, here:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=a-10+warthog

[katana]

It is basically a flying tank that is built to kill tanks with a 30 mm motorized Gatling gun in the nose and hard mounts for missiles and bombs. It was designed to halt a Soviet advance and fill the Fulda Gap with burning Russian metal. Flying low and slow has some advantages when aiming at specific targets. Reports from the first Gulf War were that ground crews were patching holes in the wings with duct tape and sending them back out to kill more tanks.

Here's a video: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=a10+in+action+video&FORM=VIRE5#view=detail&mid=02518BFEC7D442A9CCB002518BFEC7D442A9CCB0

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

There are fair numbers of videos of A-10’s on YouTube. Search “A-10” or “warthog”.

It is effective for many reasons; in short, it is incredibly rugged and can fly with about 5/8 of the plane destroyed. This gives the pilots lots of confidence to get in close. And then there’s that gun, 1 round from which can knock out a tank. The rounds are supersonic which means the targets never hear them coming (as if that would make a difference) Multiple rounds from that thing can simply obliterate anything. The plane is one of the most perfect storms of design objectives in that it is a work of art in terms of pure destruction.

Yeah, go look at some YouTubes of it. Of course the Air Force hates it because they only cost a few million each instead of tens or hundreds of millions each.

[Flick Lives]

I’m rather baffled why the plane is so effective. You would think since it’s slower, ground to air hand held missiles could easily destroy it.

It's built to be shot up but to keep on keepin' on.

• The pilot rides in a titanium "bathtub" designed to protect the pilot from ground fire.
• There are two engine nacelles well separated from the body of the plane and each other so if one engine is damaged it is less likely it will take out the other, even if the engine blows up.
• The plane has manual flight control systems to backup the hydraulic systems. Some newer fighters simply cannot be flown except "by wire"; they're inherently unstable.

[jmacusa]

Go to ApacheClips .com to see the Warthog in action. The Iraqis called this plane “Whispering Death’’ It’s effective for grounds when your enemy is holed up in a building, massing out in the open or skulking up an allyway trying to sneak up on you. “Low and Slow’’ with rockets, Hell Fire missiles, bombs and a 30.mm Gatling cannon for ground troops under fire this thing is like having your big brother show up in a street fight. This aircraft looks like it wants to kill you.

[Lmo56]

I’m rather baffled why the plane is so effective.

The A-10 was built to kill tanks - and that's what it does DAMN WELL !!! Just ask the Iraqis on the "Highway of Death." Oh yeah - you can't, they're all dead ...

Its fan jets are super-quiet, so it is hard to detect from the ground and it can turn on a dime, dipping in between rolling hills.

The cockpit is made of titanium to protect the pilot and the airframe can take one hell of a beating and keep on ticking.

And, a 3-second burst of uranium-deleted ammo from its nose-mounted gatling gun melts tank armor like butter on a hot pancake.

'Nuff said ...

[LibWhacker]

Tons of them on YouTube. Ever heard the Warthog Song? It starts at 4:46 here. :-)

[Smokin' Joe]

No video, but I saw a couple of them in Nevada, and those planes are as nimble in the air as they are ugly on the ground. Seeing them well flown makes them a thing of beauty to me.