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I remember a bit on TV with a pilot telling about how they fixed the lack of night vision / radar capabilities by wiring one of the rockets that did have it so, that, until firing it, they could use its night vision / radar. I'm pretty sure he was talking about either the A-10 or the A-6. If anyone can find anything on that, it might be worth adding it to the article.
They didn't have to "wire" the missile. The AGM-65 with imagining infrared was used as a "Poor Man's FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed)" during DESERT STORM. It wasn't a fix, it was a stop gap.
I am certain that the A-10 has not been deployed to Iraq since the initial invasion in 2003 and maybe a few months after that. They have been doing all of their work in Afghanistan but not Iraq in the last few years. Does anyone have any resources that would back this up. Deployment info is tough to get on the web. Cheers--Looper5920 04:13, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
The A-10 is still being used in Iraq... very often too! Drew1369 17:10, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
The Trivia section is a little misleading to someone who is unfamiliar with aircraft. Aircraft don't come to a standstill in midair ... they stall :-) This is due to the Stall Speed of the aircraft. An A-10 would stall at about 80-90Kts, depending on the weight and configuration of the flaps. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaps_%28aircraft%29 . The only aircraft that can hover in mid-air are the Harrier and the V-22 Osprey :-).
A related legend (I can't verify it) is that there's a pod-mounted 30mm cannon that they tried on the A-10 in addition to the main gun. One was mounted under each wing and it fired at the same time as the main gun. Allegedly, the recoil from three such cannon firing simultaneously caused the A-10 to immediately stall.
August 18, 2006
Related links917th Wing/47th Fighter Squadron: www.917wg.afrc.af.mil.Hill Air Force Base, Utah: www.hill.af.mil/main/index.html.
A-10 data sheet at Air Force Web site: www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=70.By John Andrew Primejprime@gannett.comThe A-10, the tough little ground-attack fighter that struck hard in combat in the Persian Gulf and other trouble hot spots this decade and last, will soon get a much-needed upgrade.
Over the next six years, all 356 airplanes in the inventory will be upgraded to the new mark, getting "glass cockpits" that do away with old analog instruments, and gaining state-of-the-art computer and control systems that will allow them to use the most modern and "smart" weapons.
The new A-10C will be unveiled today at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, while the type will first fly Nov. 4 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., according to a release from the Air Force.
"The new designation from A-10A to A-10C represents the largest and most sophisticated modification in the 30-year history of the close air support fighter," the Air Force release said.
Since the local 47th Fighter Squadron trains pilots and isn't a frontline fighting unit any longer, its 21 airplanes will likely be among the last to get the upgrades. But the thought of supercharging the airplanes excites fliers here.
"The most intriguing part is the incorporation of the latest technology, going from instruments of the 1960s and 1970s to something more state-of-the-art," said Col. Ozzie Gorbitz, commander of the 917th Operations Group, part of the Air Force Reserve's 917th Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base.
"The glass in the cockpit and getting rid of round dials will allow us to take advantage of data that's coming through the new targeting pods, and fully integrate these. Overall, we'll have a more capable airframe and will be able to better prosecute the war on terror."
An industry team led by Lockheed Martin developed the upgrades after a request for changes from Air Combat Command. Changes consist of a new cockpit instrument panel with two 5-inch-square multifunction color displays and a new stick-type grip and right throttle to provide fingertip control of aircraft systems and targeting pod functions, the Air Force said.
In addition, six pylon upgrades will allow the new A-10 to employ such advanced weapons as the Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAM, and the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser, WCMD, in addition to current weapons in its arsenal: the Maverick missile, a 30-mm Gatling gun, and laser-guided bombs.
Finally, a new computer called the central interface control unit will manage the airplane's avionics and the integrated Digital Stores Management System, or DSMS, that controls weapons.
Gorbitz, who previously was with the 47th Fighter Squadron and has close to 1,500 flight hours in the A-10, has seen the new cockpit configuration at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
That will be the prime training location for the A-10C, he said.
"Pilots coming here who have follow-on assignments to the A-10C will continue to train in our A-10s and then will receive 'top-off' training in the A-10C, most likely at Davis Monthan," he said. "We will continue to train A-10 pilots going to units who do not yet have the A-10C."
I removed the entire section (again) and will continue to do so until someone provides a credible verifiable reference. There is nothing whispering about Corsair, Beaufighter, F-111, A-10, or wherever else your fancy takes you. - Emt147 Burninate! 22:58, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
Anyone who wants to re-add a claim along the lines of "The real reason" is politely requested to cite a reference. Personal knowledge is not sufficient for Wikipedia. Thanks. - Rogerborg 20:19, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
"The first production A-10 flew in October 1975, and deliveries to the Air Force commenced in March 1976. The A-10A is almost an exact counterpart to the Il-2 Stormovik. The first squadron to use the A-10 went operational in October 1977. "
Huh? Out of place, to say the least.
This link may be of some interest concerning the A 10 upgrade:
The A-10's downturned wing tips can be seen on close inspection of the first image (1975 one). Just wondering, how long must a wing tip before it is considered a winglet? -Fnlayson 20:33, 3 December 2006 (UTC)
Last I knew, there were some A-10s being flown out of Wheeler-Sack near Fort Drum, yet I don't see any mention of it. Is it not a current positioning? I haven't been down that way much recently, so it's quite possible that they've moved them elsewhere. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by RussNelson (talk • contribs) 05:11, 28 December 2006 (UTC).
Unusual feature mentioned at GAU-8_Avenger -- the front landing gear are offset to accomodate the large main gun. Is the A-10 the only aircraft that has this feature? And which side?
No, no, NO! The GUN isn't offset, the NOSE GEAR is offset. The gun is on the centerline of the aircraft. Look at the flamin' pictures! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.214.22.31 (talk • contribs).
Actually, the gun is slightly to the left. It's setup up so tht the firing barrel is on the aircraft centerline while it fires, then the barrel rotates back to the left, as stated above. It's very hard to see this in the pics of the nose in the article. However, if you loosk at this carefully, you can see in the drawing of the underside that the gun is offest to the left. - BillCJ 04:59, 16 January 2007 (UTC)
The German Alpha Jet's landing gear are slightly offset and so is the belly mounted gun to accomodate each other ... although that gun actually fires from behind the landing gear. Its quite odd really.
http://www.pats-world.com/gulfwar/ This site shows some A-10's that took amazing damage and made it back to base, to be repaired and returned to battle. Especially incredible is the plane with the entire leading edge of its right wing gone. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bizzybody (talk • contribs) 09:59, 15 February 2007 (UTC).
Aviation Week had a nice article about this; I put in a reference to it. Paul Koning 21:07, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
While the statement of Friendly Fire incidents is true, I don't think this belongs in this page in this manner. Something under the guise of "The A-10 has been involved in several prominent friendly fire incidents" and provide references would be sufficient.BQZip01 19:48, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
I'm removing it. Here's a copy of it.
Someone can see what we were discussing there for reference. I turned the Refs into just links here. -Fnlayson 02:45, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
Is on this pagehttp://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=70
in the background section near bottom of page, if anyone wants/knows how to add.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.169.239.2 (talk • contribs)
The article says "...destroyed its hydraulic system, disabling the plane's stabilizer and flight controls". That's not really correct. Hydraulic failure doesn't disable flight controls, because of the reversion modes. It disables the hydraulic boost (servo) systems. So the flight controls become a lot harder to operate, and as the manual says "a single engine manual reversion approach ...should be attempted only under ideal conditions". (The press article referenced doesn't say "single engine" but it does say "damaged engine" -- same sort of thing I would think.) But the controls are still there. Paul Koning 21:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I think most of this should be explained in the earlier paragraph where it says The aircraft has triple redundancy in its flight systems, with mechanical systems to back up double-redundant hydraulic systems. This permits pilots to fly and land when hydraulic power or part of a wing is lost.. -Fnlayson 16:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Hey guys, there is currently little to NO citation in the criticism's section, we need to back up these claims.—Preceding unsigned comment added by TehPhil (talk • contribs)
“Although the A-10 can carry a considerable weight of disposable stores, its primary built-in weapon is the 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling gun.... The massive shells and high muzzle velocity allow the Thunderbolt II to destroy heavily armored main battle tanks with as few as six direct hits.” I've heard stuff like this before, but it seems suspicious. Consider therse quotes from other wikipedia articles:
“M1A2 tanks uniformly incorporate depleted uranium armor, and all M1A1 tanks in active service have been upgraded to this standard as well, the armor thickness believed to be equivalent to 24 inches (610 mm) of RHA. The strength of the armor is estimated to be about the same as similar western, contemporary main battle tanks such as the Leopard 2. The M1A1/M1A2 can survive multiple hits from the most powerful tank munitions (including 120 mm depleted uranium APFSDS) and anti-tank missiles.”
“Armor penetration: 69mm at 500 meters; 38mm at 1000 meters” (GAU-8)
“A2 (and up) version is protected against 30 mm AP and RPGs” (Bradleys)
If an M1 can survive it's own gun, how could a mere 30mm AP round have any effect? If a 30mm AP round can penetrate 69mm of armor, six rounds should only penetrate 414mm of armor if they all land in exactly the same place, which is already very unlikely. MBTs are also much more heavily armored than M2A2s. Puck01 23:49, 8 June 2007 (UTC)
To what degree Hans-Ulrich Rudel's "input was used during the development of the A-10 ground attack aircraft", as stated in his bio? -- Matthead discuß! O 22:57, 9 June 2007 (UTC)
Look at the section "After the War", (WWII). The ability of the Junkers 87 G-1 and G-2 Stuka to destroy tanks with their underwing 37mm guns was a factor in making the 30mm GAU-8 gun the main anti-tank weapon on the A-10. This is stated in the book "Warthog". Also in the Six-Day War 1967; Israeli aircraft destroyed a great many tanks with their 30mm guns. In the article on Junker 87; it states Rudel's book "Stuka Pilot" was required reading by the people associated with the A-X project that became the A-10. The Stuka destroyed a lot more tanks with their guns than did the, (article metioned), IL-2 and/or A-1 Skyraider aircraft. The IL-2 had a 23mm gun, while the A-1 had 20mm guns. The A-10 article should really metion the JU-87 G-1/G-2 Stuka and Rudel. I had added them, but they were removed.74.77.1.31 00:52, 11 June 2007 (UTC)Bennett Turk
Well, I found that information in Boyd the Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. Check the citations in Ju-87 it is the second one I believe.--LWF 14:37, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
Does anyone have a source that the BL755 CBU was ever integrated on the A-10 other than in Hunting Engineering marketing material? Riddley 00:26, 12 June 2007 (UTC)
Hm... seems like the A-10 could get completely replaced by raptors. Considering Raptors are pretty damn agile, not to mention they feature those vulcan guns that were actually designed to shoot through tanks. The A-10 also features this, however it only falls under 'support' like many ppl already seemed to mention.
A-10's have also existed much longer, which explains the fact that they exist at all. These are all only based on assumptions from what I've read, however. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.81.92.95 (talk • contribs)
Every now and then the USAF gets the idea that one aircraft can replace many different types of planes, i.e. the F-111 was supposed to replace almost all the fighters and bombers in the inventory. Of course it did not. I would not be surprised if the A-10 is like the A-26 Invader or the B-52. A plane that due to it's unique design and tough construction flies until it can not fly anymore.204.80.61.110 15:29, 12 June 2007 (UTC)Bennett Turk
Another consideration is sturdiness. What other plane can be hurt as badly as an A-10 and keep flying? Paul Koning 15:51, 12 June 2007 (UTC)
"The USAF experiemented an attack version of the F-16 called the F/A-16 and its speed was 1 drawback that ended the trial." Almost all versions of the F-16 have a ground attack capability. In fact, most U.S. versions can carry wide range of conventional ordance, comparable to the F/A-18 or the F-15E.Stanleywinthrop 15:19, 9 August 2007 (UTC)
Maybe so, but your origional statement implies that the current F-16 doesn't do ground attack--which is falseStanleywinthrop 15:48, 9 August 2007 (UTC)
No, but the article states that a "ground attack" version of an F-16 was cancled. The reference clearly refers to a "close air support" version of the F-16 and not a "ground attack version", and I changed the article to reflect as such. The irony is, even though this close air support version was cancled, the F-16 has engaged in close air support (CAS) in every major conflict (for the U.S.) it has flown in, up to and including present day operations in Iraq. Your definition of ground attack is skewed. Ground attack can be many things, including CAS, but also things such as interdiction, where high speed can be very much an advantage for a ground attack aircraft, to help avoid defenses.Stanleywinthrop 16:04, 9 August 2007 (UTC)
ST. LOUIS, June 29 -- The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract worth up to $2 billion between 2007 and 2018 for engineering services and the manufacturing of 242 wing sets for the Air Force's A-10 fleet. ... from [6] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.86.144.210 (talk • contribs)
Please see Wikipedia:Copyright problems/2007 July 28/Articles for details. -- RoySmith (talk) 21:30, 28 July 2007 (UTC)
is much better than
don't you think? the first one shows it in much more detail, and it is so beautiful. You can see the hardpoints, the weapons, so much more clearly than the second pic. Cheers, JetLover (talk) 03:15, 31 July 2007 (UTC)
I added the first one to the Operational history section. The article is getting full of images in the lower half or so. -Fnlayson 03:45, 31 July 2007 (UTC)
"Thanks. I just added a reference for the Boyd book. -Fnlayson 15:04, 11 June 2007 (UTC)" Since we are using the Boyd book for a reference can we add the fact that Pierre Sprey played an important role in the A-10? I find no mention of him in this article. In fact, I believe he was the one who distributed the copies of the above mentioned book to designers. I no longer own a copy of the book, can some one look up the relevant pages?Stanleywinthrop 15:55, 9 August 2007 (UTC)
Under the section on Durability, I removed the request for citation involving the aircraft being referred to as "a flying tank". Such citation requests are frequent on wikipedia, and frivolous. One needs only to spend a second or two looking for "Flying Tank" and "A10" on google to verify the obvious. CameronB 19:01, 20 August 2007 (UTC)