Having spent much of my life around aircraft, in the Air Force and in the aerospace industry, it was distressing to learn that the A-10 Thunderbolt II was slated for the budgetary chopping block.
An A-10 Warthog flies over a Special Forces unit in close air support. Flying low and at slower speeds, A-10 pilots have great visibility as they loiter over a target area. (usaf photo)
Yes, it’s been flying for four decades, but we’re still flying the B-52 and the C-130, which have been in the air for five and six decades, respectively. These and other aging aircraft still carry out valuable missions thanks to the upgrading of their avionics and engines.
The A-10 is commonly referred to the Warthog rather than by its official moniker, obviously because of its looks. It doesn’t have the sleek lines of modern fighter aircraft.
The A-10 won kudos for its work during the Iraq war and in Afghanistan. Ideal as a close air support aircraft, one would think it would be the airplane of choice in the kind of warfare we find ourselves now.
An A-10 pilot fires the Gatling gun in close air support. (commons.wikimedia.org)
The Warthog is equipped with a 20-foot long, 2.5 ton, seven barrel Gatling gun that can fire 1,100 30 mm shells. The single-seat cockpit has a bullet-proof bubble canopy and is surrounded by a titanium shell, making it difficult to shoot down.
The pilot is provided with excellent visibility of the movements on the ground, and with its ability to loiter over an area, can hit a target with one of its Maverick AIM-65 air-to-ground missiles, an array of bombs or a devastating burst of its Gatling gun.
As usual, the Defense Department has its weapon system protectors in each of the services. The Air Force has its “fighter mafia,” that backs the new F-35, claiming it can take on the close air support role. Some question whether it can take the punishment of an A-10 and whether its pilot, flying at supersonic speeds, would have the same eyes on the ground capability as the A-10 pilot.
The A-10’s 20-foot-long Gatling gun system, shown next to a VW Bug for comparison, makes it ideal for close air support use. (usaf photo)
Then there are the supporters of drone warfare and the pet projects of Congressmen, who support aircraft being produced or upgraded in their states, with pressure from lobbyists and the other services protecting their favored projects.
While I am not a pilot, I became attached to a number of aircraft through my communications and public affairs career. Like the B-52 Stratofortress. I recall when my unit received its first B-52H, and I witnessed the arrival of the first B-52H to go into mothballs.
In my last years in the Air Force, I saw retired aircraft pulled from the boneyard in Tucson to fight again. In Vietnam. Among them, the propeller-driven A-1 Skyraider and B-26 Invader. While we were flying the supersonic F-105 and F-4 in Vietnam, the A-1 and B-26 and other lesser-known aircraft performed important niche missions.
Hopefully, the A-10 has earned its place in the Air Force and budget-cutters will see the folly in removing it from our air power inventory.
