November, 1983- Soviet T-74s roll across the Fulda Gap into West Germany. The West German army
is retreating and nothing seems to be able to stop the full might of the Warsaw Pact’s tank brigades.
Suddenly the sky is filled with the roar of jet engines and the buzz of a 30 mm gatling gun
as the A-10 Warthog lays waste to the almost unstoppable T-74s.
What if there was a virtually invincible plane that also could decimate tanks,
armored vehicles, and troops in a single fly-by?
What if pigs could fly? Well, there's a pig that flies. Technically, it's known as a Warthog,
and it is one of the most powerful planes in the United States military arsenal,
officially called the A-10 Thunderbolt. The A-10 Thunderbolt is also known as the Tankbuster,
an almost invincible plane designed to destroy ground targets with exceptional precision.
The A-10 Thunderbolt is considered a flying gun and is one of those planes that when you need it,
you want it and when you don't need it, you still wish you had it. The plane most feared by tankers
around the world has been in operation for decades and is the most survivable,
versatile aircraft to take to the sky, popular with pilots because of its power and ability to
defeat the enemy through massive destruction and direct fire air to ground bombardment.
First introduced in 1977 to the United States Air Force,
the A-10 Thunderbolt was put into the role of Close Air Support (CAS). It’s been instrumental
in several American conflicts including Grenada, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq,
and the fight against the Islamic State in the Middle East during the War on Terror.
The mission of the A-10 is to decimate tanks, armored vehicles,
and installations in support of enemy ops. It's suitable for makeshift environments
with short or even improvised landing strips due to its short landing capability
and oversized, rugged wheels and reinforced landing gear assembly. This makes it the
premier choice for frontline combat, though it still boasts a range of 800 miles (1,287 kms).
The maneuverability of the plane allows it to fly low and slow, being able to effectively target
enemies of all shapes and sizes and decimate them. Flown by one pilot, the plane is basically an
armored tank that flies. While powerful, the A-10 Thunderbolt is painfully slow, typically cruising
at around 365 knots- or about 420 miles per hour. In relation, a typical commercial passenger jet
flies at a speed of about 400 – 500 knots or 460 - 575 miles per hour. However, it usually flies
most missions at around 300 knots or less, or around 345 miles per hour or less. Since
the plane is not intended to compete with fighter jets like the F-35, speed is not its main purpose.
The A-10 is a simple airplane, made to be flown despite serious damage;
a key feature to increase survivability is the fact that its landing gear is only partly
retractable. Half of each mainwheel protrudes from its fairing in flight, a feature instituted
because it allows the wings to remain free of wheel wells, making construction simple,
straightforward, and strong. It also allows the aircraft to land in case of landing gear failure.
The cockpit- also known as the titanium tub- is made with 3.8 centimeter thick
titanium armor plating that surrounds it, which is not forged but instead,
several plates of titanium bolted together. The A-10 also has a huge bulletproof bubble canopy,
which gives the pilot all-around good vision and makes it easy for
them to target. This makes the A-10 a powerful flying armored machine.
In addition, the A-10’s cockpit is equipped with heads-up display targeting system,
radio communication, and tactical air navigation (TACAN) system. It can also carry 11 pylons for
external loads, including extra fuel, rockets, and everything it needs to be a tank in the sky.
However, the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon has become the A-10’s best-known weapon.
The 30 mm GAU-8 is a hydraulically driven seven-barrel rotary cannon invented to beat tanks
and other armored vehicles. The Thunderbolt's 30mm gun is one of the most powerful aircraft cannons
ever made, and fires large armor-piercing shells. The armor-piercing rounds contain
depleted-uranium cores, which are extremely dense and thus, have enormous impact power.
The rounds are also “self-sharpening,” meaning the projectile doesn’t flatten as it pierces armor but
fractures and remains relatively pointed causing maximum damage upon impact. The A-10’s 30mm gun
is fired in bursts of roughly 60 to 65 rounds per second that obliterates anything it hits.
A popular myth has it that firing the gun results in recoil so severe that it is possible to stall
the airplane. It is true that the gun's recoil is indeed strong enough that had the GAU-8 been
installed off-center, the resulting yaw would cause the firing pattern of the gun to become
erratic rather than precise. For this reason, the GAU-8 rotating-barrel cannon is mounted
exactly on the A-10’s centerline, resulting in the plane's unique stance, with its nose-gear
strut mounted to ensure it clears the barrel. A-10 enthusiasts argue that the Warthog is
cheap to fly, is extremely survivable, and can put steel on target reliably.
An A-10 can put ordnance as close as 20 feet away from ground troops without putting them in danger.
The plane has electronic guidance and laser support. It’s armament includes surface-to-air
missiles as well as warheads of different kinds including Sidewinder missiles to take out enemy
choppers. Enemy fighters that get past an A-10s Enemy Counter Air escorts, or ‘leakers’, may be
surprised to find that the A-10 may not be easy prey after all in a dogfight. The big plane has
a much tighter turning radius than most fighters, allowing it to outturn an enemy and bring its nose
towards its target faster- at this point it’s all clear to fire away with it sidewinders.
Even its 30mm cannon has a much greater range than most fighter’s 20mm cannons.
What makes the A-10 Thunderbolt powerful? It is the non-afterburning turbofan engines
supplied by General Electric that provide over 9000 pounds of thrust. The location of these
engines on the plane allows it to fly even if one engine has been completely destroyed or is not
operating. The positioning also helps protect the engines from sucking up dust and debris
when flying off improvised air fields. The A-10 Thunderbolt also has some of the
best visibility to aid with both precision-guided and unguided munitions than any other plane in the
United States military. It can do way more than any plane and it only needs one pilot to fly.
In addition, the A-10 Thunderbolt has redundant primary structural sections,
which makes it much more survivable than any other aircraft in any military’s arsenal.
That means that if it takes direct hits from armor-piercing and high explosive projectiles
it will still be able to fly. The tankbuster features redundant control systems on opposite
sides of the plane, and self-healing fuel tank that can automatically plug punctures.
It's basically a tank that flies. And who wouldn't want that in the air? Well, the enemy.
The Warthog is a mission capable machine that has changed modern warfare, saved countless lives,
and become feared by the enemies of the United States. The A-10 can achieve air superiority,
bomb anything, and provide close air support for ground troops, making it a multi-mission aircraft
that is almost totally invincible. So now you know pigs can fly and that pig is the A-10 Warthog.
Now go check out Why F-22 Raptor Still Reigns Supreme, or click this other video instead!