Posted on 01/11/2017 10:22:27 AM PST by blam
Alex Lockie
January 11, 2017
USAF
In another positive sign for the beloved A-10, Air Force maintainers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona have outfitted the Warthog with an upgrade for combat search and rescue missions (CSAR).
Dubbed the lightweight airborne recovery system, the upgrade helps A-10 pilots "communicate more effectively with individuals on the ground such as downed pilots, pararescuemen and joint terminal attack controllers," according to an Air Force statement.
Of all the fixed-wing aircraft in the US Air Force's inventory, no plane carries out CSAR missions like the A-10.
CSAR missions jump off with little warning and often involve going deep into enemy territory, so becoming certified to perform CSAR missions takes tons of training, which only A-10 pilots undergo.
A US ground crew member walks past a line of American A10 aircraft on an airbase in Kuwait March 16, 2003. Russell Boyce/Reuters
The A-10's rugged survivability, massive forward firing power, newly acquired communication capabilities, and long loiter times at low altitudes make it ideal for flying low and slow and finding the lost person.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Good!
My very favorite friend from 1990 - 1991.
I get to see them flying every day over Tucson.
The idea that the F-35 can replace the A-10 is a farce.
Great news,....
Love that plane! Used to sit by the runway at lunch and watch them take off and land. Beautiful and majestic.
I was boating on Lake George in the Adirondacks in NY and a group of A-10s flew overhead straight down the lake from N to S.
exciting good news.
One guy can do a lotta damage with one of those.
Ten guys will make Hell on Earth.................
You are a lucky guy!!
we went on spring break to Tucson one year. I was in Warthog fan heaven daily by the side of the pool!
This here shows the true irony in our current procurement system. The A-10 was first produced in 1972, is simple in design, rugged in construction, and a master at its tasks. This plane has been in service for over 40 years and is still beloved by its pilots. The A-10 is a flying armored bathtub that has saved numerous pilots with its survivability. The A-10 costs 13 million each. Now the F-35 is still barely getting off the ground. Has cost billions to develop, costs 35 million each and is a flying computer which pilots often sight as being unwieldy.
There was a squadron of them at Grissoa Air Base several years ago. My brother’s farm was one of their practice runs; he said you could hear them buzzing around, but not see them. Next thing you knew, they hopped a tree line, made a “run” at his barn or tractor if it was out, and then disappeared over the next tree line.
He never knew which direction they were coming from.
QUICK!!!
Someone tell Congress Woman McSally (R-AZ).
Fantastic news!
Excellent.
Is it possible to build new A-10’s? Does the tooling still exist?
I am glad to se that the AF finally learned how to read.
The late 1960s/very early 1970’s Statement of Work (SOW) that directed the A-10 development and everything else associated with the A-10 stated that the A-10 was envisioned as a replacement for the A-1E in the “Sandy” CSAR mission. The bulk of these requirements directly reflected on-going combat experience from Vietnam not some staffer’s promotion dreams.
The A-10 community waged a successful insurgency against the Air Staff for over a decade by going back to their SOW and concentrating on it. In short, the A-10s went back to their roots and stopped trying to compete with the Air Staff’s fair haired little boys, the F-22 and F-35. In fact, there were offices within the Air Staff that viewed the A-10 as a funding vehicle for these new super fighters.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
