View Full Version : R.I.P A-10 Warthog
Danceswithwires
09-22-2013, 21:59
Sad http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/r-i-p-a-10-warthog/
Hasn't the A10 been removed from service at least 10 times now?
I am all about cutting costs, even the Military should cut costs when there is wasteful spending at all levels of the government...
But this is in my opinion a horrible decision, this airframe is unmatched, there has never been another airframe that has done what the A-10 has, possibly saved more men on the ground then any other and continues to do so to this day, yeah its a single mission airframe, its also by far the cheapest airframe in the entire military including drones, nothing we have can do close air support like the A-10 NOTHING.
Oh yay, lets replace the A-10 with the F-35 hummmm lets see, A-10 is about 15 mill each with current upgrades, turn key aerial tank/tank killer, F-35 current cost is 100 mill not including the engine, sure makes sense to me...
Cost per flight hour
A-10 $18,000
F-35 $24,000(est.)
Indications are that the Army may be interested in taking the A-10's, can't imagine why, maybe because Soldiers hear the scream of the engines and the unique sound of the GAU-8 Avenger 30 mm cannon and know exactly what happens next. Maybe the Army should take the A-10, the Army seems to be better suited in doing things that save Soldiers lives anyway.
This decision will cost American lives.
What a buncha shit. "This works! We must fix it and make it better!"
No doubt some fuckin' college boy dreamed up this "improvement".
electronman1729
09-22-2013, 22:48
The A-10 has got to be the greatest plane ever made. Not to make this political but why is it that this administration keeps cutting the best military assets? Just last week i read about our sub fleet size being cut back and the Navy brass was rather worried about it.
What a buncha shit. "This works! We must fix it and make it better!"
No doubt some fuckin' college boy dreamed up this "improvement".
They did, then they got a war to prove how horrible the airframe was, oops, it did better then any other plane did in the sandbox, it did so well that pilots developed a work around to not having night vision capability by saving one IR missile and using the IR on the missile to see, so they upgraded the electronics and the missions grew more and more eventually adding the A-10 to search and rescue missions for air support. we just upgraded most if not all A-10's electronics and airframes to survive through 2025.
This is seriously an incredibly stupid cost cutting measure, I hope the Army jumps all over them, freaking ugly plane that just gets shit done.
Buddy of mine used to work on them and told me it was the only plane that got airstrikes....from behind...
I just wish they would sell them as surplus and I was filthy rich. Unfortunately neither is true.
http://youtu.be/1rGcn2XGr48
http://youtu.be/-BP8fRbuadA
ChunkyMonkey
09-22-2013, 23:13
Not yet.. being considered to retire...but again it has survived how many presidents now? Including the huge roll back by Clinton.
Never understood why people call her ugly. I love the looks of the A-10.
I certainly hope the Thunderbolt II will be with us much longer. I remember the early calls to replace its mission with the F-16. Talk about a square peg and a round hole...
Nothing on the planet fills the ground support role better than the A-10.
Not yet.. being considered to retire...but again it has survived how many presidents now? Including the huge roll back by Clinton.
Clinton had good reasons for a big chop.
Considered - sounds like they are doing what every other agency does when given cuts. Say it is going to destroy everyone's favorite program as an opening salvo in bargaining.
Good plane. However reliability rate these past few years is terrible. Really bad. They are an old plane that has been ridden hard.
I say open up the assembly lines and make new ones.
'nuff said...
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u29/hawken50/hrihs8.jpg
bobbyfairbanks
09-23-2013, 07:24
Good plane. However reliability rate these past few years is terrible. Really bad. They are an old plane that has been ridden hard.
I say open up the assembly lines and make new ones.
New ones with a even bigger cannon and higher cyclic rate of fire. Greatest sound I ever heard in my life!
UrbanWolf
09-23-2013, 09:38
Never understood why people call her ugly. I love the looks of the A-10.
Agree. Mean looking MF-er, like a gator, I laways liked the appearance of A-10.
I guess some people just never saw real ugly planes.
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/4/2/0/1087024.jpg
UrbanWolf
09-23-2013, 09:41
On the serious note, what "cheaper" method do the administration intended to use to fill up A-10's role when needed? I wonder if they just hired back some of them Whiz Kids.
Mig-17, Mig-19 and F86 Sabre are some of the best looking planes to me. A-10 is awesome too.
Inconel710
09-23-2013, 10:13
Air Force has been trying to get rid of the Warthog for ever. Guess they'll finally get their wish to fly only "sexy" airplanes. Until the next war and they realize the F35 can't do ground support.
I doubt the Army will take the A-10's. It has no other fixed wing planes except a few small cargo planes made into transports for generals. The AH-64 Longbow program can handle most of what an A-10 does with a few things the A-10 can't do.
clublights
09-23-2013, 10:44
Good plane. However reliability rate these past few years is terrible. Really bad. They are an old plane that has been ridden hard.
I say open up the assembly lines and make new ones.
I thought the C model rebuild/ rewings were supposed to help with this ?
Sharpienads
09-23-2013, 11:49
However, Welsh said the A-10 finds itself on the chopping block because “it’s a single-mission airplane, essentially,” and would struggle in more contested airspaces.
This is the real issue. Nobody loves the A-10 more than me (ok, maybe some people do, but I like it a lot), but times are changing. With more sophisticated surface-to-air threats being widely proliferated, it won't matter how well the A-10 is at CAS if it can't even get to the battlefield without being shot down.
lowspeed_highdrag
09-23-2013, 12:59
I've had a love affair with the Hog since I was a little boy and got to see the destruction it caused in Desert Storm on TV. What a terrible idea! There is no better CAS than the A10.
ChunkyMonkey
09-23-2013, 13:52
Good plane. However reliability rate these past few years is terrible. Really bad. They are an old plane that has been ridden hard.
I say open up the assembly lines and make new ones.
Have you heard any rumors about bringing the old OV10 bronco back?
Sharpienads
09-23-2013, 14:08
Have you heard any rumors about bringing the old OV10 bronco back?
I haven't heard anything of the sort.
ChunkyMonkey
09-23-2013, 15:09
I haven't heard anything of the sort.
It's mentioned in few defense articles.. At least as a contender
http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/dubai-air-show/2009-11-12/coin-combat-wing-could-be-horizon
Sharpienads
09-23-2013, 15:20
It's mentioned in few defense articles.. At least as a contender
http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/dubai-air-show/2009-11-12/coin-combat-wing-could-be-horizon
Huh, well that's interesting. But that article is from 2009. There has been a pretty big shift in long-term thinking since then (such as fighting an enemy like Russia as opposed to a COIN fight). But I'm just a lowly worker. The AF doesn't ask for my input on stuff before they make big decisions.
I really do like the A-10. It was and is a great tool for the guys on the ground. I just wish they could get the Osprey to work right. If they did, it might make a decent replacement for the A-10. This seems like another one of those pentagon decisions that favors expensive toys over things that work. It always pissed me off how the troops on the ground for years were stuck with old tech like the TA50 stuff while we wasted money hand over fist on boondoggles.
Drones with Hellfires would fill a small part of the A-10 role.
The tank is dead, we don't really need a dedicated tank killer.
clublights
09-23-2013, 16:54
Drones with Hellfires would fill a small part of the A-10 role.
The tank is dead, we don't really need a dedicated tank killer.
That's the thing tho ..
a drone currently... can carry what 2-4 hellfire's?
an a-10 carries a crap load more and still has that 30mm to tear shit up . not just tanks .. anything you want dead the a-10 will deliver.
lowspeed_highdrag
09-23-2013, 16:57
Drones with Hellfires would fill a small part of the A-10 role.
The tank is dead, we don't really need a dedicated tank killer.
The tank isn't part of our current enemies arsenal on a regular basis, but it very well could be in the next war/quagmire we get ourselves in. The A10 has played a high role in the past few conventional wars in the desert of making sure that the tank was in fact dead.
UrbanWolf
09-23-2013, 18:16
Drones with Hellfires would fill a small part of the A-10 role.
The tank is dead, we don't really need a dedicated tank killer.
How is tank dead?
Not to side track the thread to much. Antitank weapons have given the guy on the ground a nice punch. Tanks cost millions and it only takes 50K to kill one.
Not to side track the thread to much. Antitank weapons have given the guy on the ground a nice punch. Tanks cost millions and it only takes 50K to kill one.
I also guess the The AC-130 Gunship can also do a lot of what the A-10 can do and more.
Sharpienads
09-23-2013, 19:27
There are a lot of great platforms that do a lot of great things, but not as well as the A-10. It will take multiple aircraft to replace what the A-10 does. Preds and Reapers are great, but don't have the payload. AC-130 is great, but can't do the FAC(A) or OSC role.
lowspeed_highdrag
09-23-2013, 22:07
I also guess the The AC-130 Gunship can also do a lot of what the A-10 can do and more.
The AC130 is a devastating craft, but IME can not be on scene and assisting in the time that the Hog can.
clublights
09-23-2013, 22:40
If the A-10 is " not viable in the current airspace" how the heck is the slower must fly in a predictable circle Ac-130 better then the faster and highly maneuverable A-10 ?
Cylinder Head
09-24-2013, 00:00
How is tank dead?
The A-10 killed it duh.
If the A-10 is " not viable in the current airspace" how the heck is the slower must fly in a predictable circle Ac-130 better then the faster and highly maneuverable A-10 ?
The U-Boat has a few tricks up its sleeve and more people on board to manage them.
At least it will forever live on in simulation (well, not really forever).
DCS A10-C anyone?
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