A-10 THUNDERBOLT II "Warthog" | The Untold Story. Part 2: Deployment & Controversy

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" attack aircraft: the untold story, the history, and things you might not know about one of the most loved and most hated aircraft in history.
PART 2: Deployment And Controversy.
PART 1: • A-10 THUNDERBOLT II "W...
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II-era fighter bomber effective at attacking ground targets, but commonly referred to as the "Warthog" or "Hog". The A-10 was designed to provide close air support (CAS) to friendly ground troops by attacking armored vehicles, tanks, and other enemy ground forces; it is the only production-built aircraft designed solely for CAS to have served with the U.S. Air Force. Its secondary mission is to direct other aircraft in attacks on ground targets, a role called forward air controller-airborne; aircraft used primarily in this role are designated OA-10.
The A-10 was intended to improve the performance and firepower of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Its airframe was designed for durability, with measures such as 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and aircraft systems, enabling it to absorb damage and continue flying. Its ability to take off and land from relatively short runways permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines, and its simple design enables maintenance with minimal facilities.
The A-10A single-seat variant was the only version produced, though one pre-production airframe was modified into the YA-10B twin-seat prototype to test an all-weather night-capable version. In 2005, a program was started to upgrade the remaining A-10A aircraft to the A-10C configuration, with modern avionics for use with precision weaponry. The U.S. Air Force had stated the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II would replace the A-10 as it entered service, but this remains highly contentious within the USAF and in political circles. With various upgrades and wing replacements, the A-10's service life can be extended to 2040; the service has no planned retirement date as of June 2017.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m)
Wingspan: 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m)
Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Wing area: 506 sq ft (47.0 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 6716 root, NACA 6713 tip
Empty weight: 24,959 lb (11,321 kg)
Gross weight: 30,384 lb (13,782 kg)
CAS mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg)
Anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 50,000 lb (22,700 kg)
Fuel capacity: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg) internal
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) thrust each
Performance
Maximum speed: 381 kn (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean
Cruise speed: 300 kn (340 mph, 560 km/h)
Stall speed: 120 kn (138 mph, 220 km/h) at 30,000 lb (14,000 kg)
Never exceed speed: 450 kn (518 mph, 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mark 82 bombs
Combat range: 220 nmi (250 mi, 400 km) CAS mission, 1.88 hour loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combat
Ferry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knots (58 mph; 26 m/s) headwinds, 20 minutes reserve
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)
Wing loading: 99 lb/sq ft (482 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.36
Armament
Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GAU-8/A Avenger rotary cannon with 1,174 rounds
Hardpoints: 11 (8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,260 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets:
4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19×/7× Hydra 70 mm/APKWS rockets, respectively)
6× LAU-131 rocket pods (each with 7× Hydra 70 rockets)
Missiles:
2× AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self-defense
6× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles
Bombs:
Mark 80 series of unguided 'iron' bombs or
Mk 77 incendiary bombs or
BLU-1, BLU-27/B, CBU-20 Rockeye II, BL755 and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs or
Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs or
Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) (A-10C) or
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser
Other:
SUU-42A/A Flares/infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod or
AN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or
Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or Litening targeting pods or
2× 600 US gal (2,300 L) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for increased range/loiter time.
Avionics
AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny laser tracker pod (mounted beneath right side of cockpit) for use with Paveway LGBs (currently the Pave Penny is no longer in use
Head-up display (HUD)
Anti-armor mission: 252 nmi (290 mi; 467 km) with sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat.
#a10 #warthog #a10warthog

[@Dronescapes]

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[@DankRy23]

You know what they should really do with the F35 and what it was really meant for? A new AWAC system.... If you just put in more sophisticated and longer reaching radar with its computing power and ability to designate targets It would literally be the perfect AWAC system as a stealth fighter that could handle its own in any situation and protect itself so it doesn't need escorts but it's best ability is to be able to detect threats and designate targets to more specifically geared aircraft such as the F-22, F-16, A-10, C-130J, B-1,or B-2 I believe that would be a far more effective use of the aircraft, But I do not believe it can multi-task all the missions as well as above said aircraft... I believe those aircraft should be the ones doing the missions while the F-35 should be directing the missions.

[@semperparatus678]

"then a bunch of wars came along" Sounds like the present. The A 10 is a bad ass ground attack aircraft.

[@knowahnosenothing4862]

It needs something like and APS on modern armor.

[@rlicon1970]

The USAF still doesn't want that piece of magic. As a guy that loves the USAF it makes me sad.

[@AnthonyTolhurst-dw1nc]

Creating “one plane fits all” is nothing but compromise for all mission requirements. Far cheaper in long run to build specific aircraft for specific missions. F35 yet to prove itself; but I suspect it will fall short in actual ability.

[@joemichaels6735]

Follow the money.

[@HamburgerAmy]

where we goin?

[@oliverlarsen6768]

@@HamburgerAmythe government ig🤔 they wont stop stealing it

[@rhvenaubrey6008]

Umm... Odd title since only a third of the video is about the A10.

[@scottbaxter2061]

Dude Pierre had very very very little to do with the a10 besides trying to take credit for it, please dig a little deeper and correct this error in history

[@Dronescapes]

Although, as mentioned, he is credited in the video by an important person. We are aware of the controversy surrounding him, but when you have key players describing him at work, pushing the A-10, you cannot dismiss them either.. In case you missed a previous comment, check, for example. part 1 of the video: Thomas P. Christie, 4th appointed Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. kzbin.info/www/bejne/onqbdqqih9WChdEsi=g3WByoQOK5euTHeT&t=1264

[@datdudewarner386]

Can you expound on Sprey??

[@jenpsakiscousin4589]

Sprey while at Cornell I believe became acquainted with some of the analysts at RAND and was later recruited as part of SecDef McNamara team the “whiz kids” who used data analysis and computing power to solve problems related to strategic planning. Always a controversial figure he was a very intelligent person and was consulted by the pentagon and defense contractors for questions and advice. He was mostly deemed controversial for most of his career for challenging the rock solid military and political beliefs and institutions, he did not become a pariah until he began criticizing the F35. Other members of McNamaras whiz kids that challenged the establishment bureaucracy were men like bill Kaufman, Dick Zeckhauser and notably Harry Rowan, who routinely challenged the entrenched military bureaucracy from a budget perspective. Most everything readily available online about Spray is suspect in my opinion, it is hard to find such statements and articles before he started bashing the F35.

[@TheCaptainSlappy]

@@jenpsakiscousin4589 I don't know anyone that hasn't bashed the F35. It's now to the point that the chair force is so technologically bloated & complicated, logistics would be an absolute nightmare in an actual war that a draft would be required to support. Primarily, because no branch currently could produce enough qualified pilots for more than 2 years of heavy losses. Ask Germany and Japan how that turned out. Or any country in WW1. If we truly bumped heads against Russia and China at this point, serious problems in year one would be found, thanks to bad administrative thinking, and basic logistics of having to support a war halfway across the world, while they wouldn't have to worry about it at all. The problem we got right now is after decades of fighting poorly trained, poorly armed goat herders in the desert, has done the inevitable of making the administrations of the military branches confused about winning against someone that has more brains and isn't confused. Boondoggling has always screwed the services. Every time. Without fail. Getting thousands of soldiers killed. Nothing has changed. The people that have to do the actual fighting are poorly paid. The people that do nothing except hocking lateral advancements, get rich at their expense.

[@CrstnJdiKnight]

Someone in another post on aging aircrafts, in a different documentary on the A-10, The AC-130 gunships or the B-52 (and the C-130s as well) are older aircrafts with upgrading them, but never a word or discussion about mothballing or killing them off. 🕵️🤔

[@Gunni1972]

Hmmh, so, the Video about the Warthog basically ends at 27:00 and from then onwards, it is exactly, what Pierre Sprey said about the Airforce? Like a Lockheed commercial?

[@louwvandermerwe178]

Sprey is not as credible as he pretend to be

[@Dronescapes]

Although, for example, he is cleary credited, in part 1 of the video, by Thomas P. Christie, 4th appointed Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. kzbin.info/www/bejne/onqbdqqih9WChdEsi=g3WByoQOK5euTHeT&t=1264

[@STGN01]

Lazerpig lied, what he said about the A-10 was false. Sprey was deeply involved in political lobbying after his work on the A-10 so he stepped on a lot of toes during his career, that's why he has been smeared so much in recent years.

[@Dronescapes]

@STGN01 There it is...Another point of view. Thank you 👍