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| Home Front: Tech |
| Warthogs get a upgrade |
| 2004-11-23 |
| November 23, 2004: The U.S. Air Force is beginning it's A-10 upgrade, that will convert most of the current A-10A aircraft to A-10Cs (the A-10B was a two seat version produced in small quantities). Most of the changes will not be visible, and many will be in the cockpit. The pilots will now have color LCDs, new instruments and a new joystick with enough buttons on it to allow the pilot to control just about everything without having to fiddle with any other controls. This is called HOTAS (Hands-On Throttle And Stick). The A-10C will be able to use JDAM (GPS guided) smart bombs, as well as many current, and future, missiles. This makes the A-10 even more versatile. The air force has been trying to dump the A-10 for some two decades now. But the army combat troops like it, as do the air force pilots who fly it and, most importantly, so does the media. The A-10C will be the most versatile combat warplane the air force operates. The A-10 is the only warplane that can get down low (the better to figure what is really going on), and deliver effective firepower (via the 30mm automatic cannon). The A-10C will also be able to drop smart bombs from higher altitudes, making it able to deal with just about any combat support mission that comes up. In addition, the A-10 is designed to operate from crude airbase facilities and, in general, take a lot of punishment and keep going. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #29 I love them 'Hogs - a Cavalryman's best friend! And if the Airforce doesnt want the A-10's, give em to the Army - |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-11-23 1:40:30 PM |
| #28 I love them 'Hogs - a Cavalryman's best friend! And if the Airforce doesnt want the A-10's, give em to the Army - |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-11-23 1:40:30 PM |
| #27 That's because McPeak was an F-16 driver and cared little about anything else. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-11-23 9:20:56 PM |
| #26 Ask Mike K about him Tibor, I recall strong reactions. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-11-23 7:22:14 PM |
| #25 Wasn't McPeak the @sshat that shilled tirelessly for Kerry? His A-10 history alone is an indictment of him (and, by extension, Kerry). |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-11-23 7:09:23 PM |
| #24 Matt: Supposedly, right after the A-10 shot down the enemy helos, the program manager had his sign modified to say "F/A-10." Dunno if true. |
| Posted by: jackal 2004-11-23 6:11:25 PM |
| #23 Foiled again by the Pajamahadeen! LOL I don't know why I typed AH-10! I have the computer game "AH-64 Apache"! That is what I meant. All three look mean as hell just sitting on the runway. Agree that McPeak was a 'AF 1st' and everyone else second type of General. During Desert Storm a friend told me how all activity in the POW compound would cease when the A-10s took off. It even sounds mean when it takes off, kind of like a low growl. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-11-23 4:48:31 PM |
| #22 A10 = Al Qaeda/Taliban paradise lost |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-11-23 4:26:09 PM |
| #21 GK, thanks, I didn't hear that part of the story. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-11-23 4:16:09 PM |
| #20 Let's just stop all the fuss and compromise. Give the A-10s to the Marine Corps. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-11-23 4:11:54 PM |
| #19 The sound of the screaming jets is fine but the 30mm Avenger cannon is the best....If I was on the ground I'd be looking for new Hanes toute suite.... |
| Posted by: Warthog 2004-11-23 3:44:49 PM |
| #18 But the army combat troops like it, as do the air force pilots who fly it and, most importantly, so does the media. Ah, that GAU-8 cannon and the bullets it fires.... :) |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-11-23 3:17:39 PM |
| #17 I took the "AH-10" reference to be to the (AH-64) Apache. Just a typo. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-11-23 3:03:12 PM |
| #16 Cyber Sarge, The Army did want the A-10... but not at the price the Air Force wanted to give it away for. GEN McPeak (Air Force) said, "you can have the A-10 but we want the Patriot missile system". Sounds like a simple trade. But the Army would be giving up any say on where theatre missile defense batteries (patriots) would be place. Thus, they said no. The Army knew the true value of the A-10. An ugly, slow streetfighter that could dish out punishment and take it as well. It's the only aircraft with triple redundency... three back ups if a system goes down. Not to mention it was built around a 30mm chain gun. True statement... the Hog is the Armor guys best friend. The AC-130 is the Ranger's best friend. It's like a mobile artillery platform with deadly accuracy. Call either one in for Close Air Support (CAS) and your like a dog getting it's belly scratched! Also, got no idea what an AH-10 is. AH is the designation for attack helicopter. |
| Posted by: Pissed off Army 2004-11-23 2:57:37 PM |
| #15 Cyber Sarge, with respect to your remarks in comment #7 - I know what an A-10 and an AC-130 are, but what's an AH-10? |
| Posted by: Captain Pedantic 2004-11-23 2:41:39 PM |
| #14 #8. Matt, the A10 that shot down two enemy helicopters during GW1 is on static display at the Air Force Academy. When the pilot returned from that mission he learned that two US choppers were unaccounted for. Needless to say he had a taut puckerstring until the friendlies finally showed up. |
| Posted by: GK 2004-11-23 2:00:16 PM |
| #13 Anonymoose, The Army had a chance to take the A-10s during the Bush I administration but they didn't want it. The Air Force was modifying some F-16s to ground support variants and planned on retiring the A-10 before the Desert Storm. Well the A-10 proved so useful that they decided to keep it. BTW the Air Force Forward Air Controllers assigned to every Army combat unit. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-11-23 1:42:43 PM |
| #12 I love them 'Hogs - a Cavalryman's best friend! And if the Airforce doesnt want the A-10's, give em to the Army - |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-11-23 1:40:30 PM |
| #11 I was getting my instrument flying training in May of 1988. One morning I was under the hood, on the gauges, getting vectored to Eilson AFB for a practice instrument approach. My instructor told me to take off my hood for a minute. Above me was a KC-10 and beside me were two A-10s as pretty as can be. They flew with authority! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-11-23 1:37:56 PM |
| #10 I wish someone would tell the AF to put a sock in it and give the Army its own organic fixed-wing CAS. This dumb-ass game of fixed-wing "having" to be Air Force, out of what? Pride? Just because?, has killed far too many soldiers. If the Army was *permitted* to have A-10Cs, it would pay for ten times as many, having an organic squadron to every combat brigade. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-11-23 1:24:22 PM |
| #9 I echo Mike. The A-10, the Soldier's friend. Cyber Sarge, forget what looks meaner: the A-10 SOUNDS MEANER. I think it's caused more soiled enemy undies per sortie than any other aircraft that's ever been in the inventory. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2004-11-23 1:22:38 PM |
| #8 Don't forget their air-to-air capability: A10's shot down two Iraqi helicopters during GW 1 (and the pilots later offered to fly topcover for F15's.) |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-11-23 1:06:13 PM |
| #7 It is a toss-up on which looks meaner: A-10, AC-130, or AH-10. I would hate to be on the business end of any of these in a fight. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-11-23 12:54:16 PM |
| #6 The most beautiful ugly airplane in the world. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-11-23 12:50:41 PM |
| #5 Just wait till they come out with the Thunderbolt Greaseslapper... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-11-23 12:41:17 PM |
| #4 In the Tucson skies everyday you can see them... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2004-11-23 12:31:23 PM |
| #3 ....UltraHog....Oh YEAH, Bay-bay*S* Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-11-23 12:26:08 PM |
| #2 Thunderbolt IIc Oh yea. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-11-23 12:02:15 PM |
| #1 This is called HOTAS (Hands-On Throttle And Stick) Hey! No snickering, dammit! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-11-23 11:38:08 AM |