Why are we so obsessed with the A-10 Thunderbolt?

[@_Matsimus_]

I love this aircraft and the "BRRRRRTTTT" will always be imprinted in my head hearing it on operational tour. But what do you think of it? I want to hear your own opinion. Do you love it? Hate it? Let me know! Hope you all have a great day! Thanks for watching!!!

[@cnlbenmc]

Restart A-10 production I say! At minimum start making spare parts for it!

[@stevenlarratt3638]

A10 or AH-64 🤤

[@thebanana232]

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT

[@edwardlaba]

The lovely plane

[@EnhancedCognition]

I can only imagine that dragon flying overhead and ripping enemies to shreds.

[@strawberrybleach7715]

Question: Why are we so obsessed with the A-10 Thunderbolt Answer: Yes Long answer: BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT

[@Deuces0810]

Strawberry Bleach any fighter jet can go BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT my guy

[@arielbemeliahu8619]

@@Deuces0810 not really

[@Deuces0810]

Ariel Eliahu well almost all I guess

[@strawberrybleach7715]

@@Deuces0810 Name another aircraft the US uses that is equipped with the GAU-8, I'll wait, My guy

[@ClannerJake]

Not even almost, fighter jets use a m61 vulcan which has a 6k RPS, vs 3.9k RPS, they also use a 20×102 mm round compaired to the 30×173 mm- one makes a louder noise, and the pops aren't too closely spaced. the former sounds like a continuous explosion; the latter purrs.

[@mala7794]

engineer: we made this 30mm gatling gun commander: make it fly

[@intheshade3018]

Engineer: "m-make it fly?" Commander:" DID I FUCKING STUTTER?"

[@mohammadwasilliterate8037]

"Make it fly".....lol,,,,funny fucker!

[@akeiai]

ok-k-kay, t-the design is done. *After one mission* I DID THAT IDIOTS! THATS. MY. PLANE!

[@krisfrederick5001]

Ha! Nice

[@jabba233hutt3]

that is how monsters are made.

[@rockdaleredneckadventures1983]

I was with the unit (the 23rd Fighter Wing "The Flying Tigers") that then Cpt Johnson flew with in Desert Storm. And let me tell you the hole in the right wing was large enough for a grown man to crawl through. In addition we had another A-10 return with an unexploded SAM lodged in the fuselage in between the engines. The warthog is so tough the pilot didn't even know it was back there until the ground crews told him when he returned to base. Of the many airframes I worked there is no aircraft in the world that is able to do it mission better. MSgt J Davis, USAF, Retired

[@gonebush1000]

Thank you for your service sir.

[@travelbugse2829]

I even heard that Apaches (or next-generation helos) could fill in the gaps that F35 Raptors won't be able to fill. Seriously? Never been a fan of choppers in a hot environment. Those two wings fixed to the side of the A-10 are major security plusses IMHO, along with the bathtub and the other bits. You guys in the US built the best post-WW2 close combat aircraft ever. I hope it stays around for a hell of a lot longer - it's going to be needed. Thanks for sharing! Regards from London UK.

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

@@travelbugse2829 It'll be needed till with come up with an A-102 thunderbolt III, a beefier tougher and better version of the a-10.

[@WastelandSeven]

So...its built like a Russian plane LOL (thanks for your service)

[@michaelsullivan4213]

I was also with the 23rd fighter wing.i was in egress.

[@umg8356]

Why do we love the A-10? Lets break it down: 1) Gun is big and this is America

[@dzban02]

@Steve Campbell the only reason for building this plane is a BIG gun

[@lukeshort2960]

Some guy: Hey guys I have this really big gun, what can we do with it? The AF: let's put wings on it. The us gov.: do you really think that'll work? Answer: BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!!!.....

[@patrolpilot3756]

Gov: "We've got this big ass gun, what are we to do?" Fairchild: "Merica."

[@jannydj2393]

AC-130: *Am I joke to you?* *Sad 105mm shell noise*

[@arandomtechpriest5492]

That plane was built around the gun

[@Bolt99K]

The better question is why aren’t more people obsessed with the A-10

[@bakedhawaii]

Yes

[@broblack7693]

For me it's an amazing aircraft,old but gold and darm good job hammering down enemy tanks and armed personal vehicle..

[@cheese6039]

Could not have said it better

[@zach4936]

Yes

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

I´m not obsessed. I can stop any time I want......

[@KalLanPIDT]

Other countries: Lets put a gun on this aircraft. America: Lets put an aircraft around this gun.

[@ankitdas6907]

👏

[@reclusiarchgrimaldus1269]

+ Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Amen 🙏!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this FLAME." In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ." Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE." And please repent of all of your sins and be baptized by the Holy Spirit before it is too late, you will never know when the time will come 🙏!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amen 🙏!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@josephharty5036]

I mean it's a 30mm rotary cannon the size of a volkswagon beetle with a titanium bathtub, 2 jet engines, and some pylons strapped to it... who doesn't like it?

[@jaiminsangar7531]

Joseph Harty jhonny taliban

[@LIGHTNING278TH]

The Fighter mafia.

[@jlokison]

US Airforce Fighter and Bomber Command staff.

[@grizzly6699]

Exactly. It's a Gatling gun with wings. Who doesn't like that?

[@gundam2jimmy]

Why? Easy. BRRRRRTTTT!!!!!

[@topshum]

If super-sonic fighter jets like the f-15, f-22, su-35, rafale, etc. are like super models, then the a-10 is the tomboy next door that always has your back

[@dreamingflurry2729]

Prefer them anyway...they are low maintenance, they are ready (for action) in minutes and they can take a beating (both physically and mentally, they don't need a defender either)...gotta love both, the plane and the tomboy-girls :)

[@fynnla.e]

@@dreamingflurry2729 Why are you beating tomboys and A-10's?

[@freighttrain7143]

@@fynnla.e Beating up dat p@$$y :) See a p@$$y is like Rocky. A good beating really gets it going :)

[@MRPHILIPPINEHACKER]

Holy edwin thats a bad ass jet

[@kazsmaz]

The girl that plays minecraft with you and is oddly attractive

[@munss7391]

Once upon a time, when I was in Italy, we had an A-10 return with tree branches lodged in its landing gear. The pilot stated he flew low enough not to be seen

[@knunyabeasewhacks8744]

They designed a jet airplane AROUND a rotory cannon for Christ's sake! What's not to love?

[@hazmatt3250]

American Freedom-Fighter the plane’s the attachment

[@christopherworley5944]

Correction: they designed a tank around a 30mm cannon that just so happens to fly.

[@SeptrothFFXI]

They designed a flying brick shit house around a rotary cannon.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

Ask around the air-force and you'll get some hardliners which despises the A-10 due to not its capabilities but its looks and sub performance as a fighter. Many in the Airforce are disgusted by the A-10's looks as its a bulky fighter bomber, its slow compared to other fighters in the inventory, its not sleek, its boxy and very basic for a jet fighter. Its not like a sleek looking F-16 the mighty Eagle, or a new stealth fighter. Many of those hardliners hate the fighter so much they've been on a crusade to sack the design since its introduction into the air-force. What keeps it in service is its capabilities as a ground support air-craft that's proven so reliable that the hardliners have to keep it around. Its proven so useful that suddenly sacking such a valuable fighter would be seen as truly stupid. So they've been waiting till a nicer looking one could replace the hog. When the F-35 came out they tried to push that it could replace the A-10 and yet the A-10 soldiers on due to its popularity with its pilots, and ground crews who adores the fighter bomber, and the troops the F-35B the marine variant turns out is pretty much meh it can do the job on paper but the moment it gets hit that fighter is in trouble, where the A-10 is physically a flying tank that it can physically lose chunks of itself, and still land and potentially be repaired.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

@Reto Ware A grunt or soldier on the ground will basically tell you a A-10 is gods gift to allied soldiers. A pilot of the craft will tell you its a dream to fly and reliable. A pilot and or officer that never flew the A-10 but flown faster sleek fighter designs would likely laugh and taunt anyone who flew the craft or the craft itself. The A-10 will not get you laid, any pilot who flies it will tell you that, and sure as hell pilots who fly faster nicer craft will sure as hell tell you that and everyone else.. . (It will however insure you come back alive to make the attempt. ) If you go over the history of the A-10 its never been liked by some of the higher brass and more um cocky pilots and officers of the US Air force. Hell they hated it so much when it came up on the chopping block in 2015 cuts the US Army personally requested that if the air force retired the craft, could the US army pick them up due to the need of a ground support craft and cause they adore the hog. The Air-force brass willing to kill the A10 all but told them to fuck off on it they hated it so much. Thankfully someone with a brain convinced the rest to keep the old bird and as of 2019 its set to stay in the air-force till 2044 or past that.

[@AntalopeAUT]

A10: - Looks like a beast - Sounds unreal - Carries harder than any of us - Dishes out ungodly - Survivable like heck - BRRRRRRRRRRRRT Any more questions ?

[@jordan9961]

Performed less CAS missions in Iraq and Afganistan than most other jets in the Air Force.

[@MajorCaliber]

@@jordan9961 Sources?

[@jordan9961]

@@MajorCaliber Can't find the table I was making that claim off of at the moment, but I did find some stuff on recent operations against ISIS, which I would call equivalent. www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/7c23231ebb86303c33b51fd75705c16cf8ca6b4f/r=183&c=0-0-180-240/http/cdn.tegna-tv.com/-mm-/b9d58265bf8b20af4e4e1f49568658d638df973d/c=0-6-273-370/local/-/media/2016/04/28/DefenseNews/DefenseNews/635974371954133437-Air-Force-Miission-Against-ISIS.JPG Long URL for a percentage break down of sorties flown and how many times they actually released munitions. You can see that the F-16, a fighter/interceptor never intended for a CAS role, is the predominate ground strike fighter, with the F-15 following. They sortie more and attack more targets on those sorties. I'd call that the crux of the issue. In the modern world, an aircraft that is decades old and designed for a mission that no longer exists, and essentially that one mission, will be beat by multi-role aircraft. Sure, the A-10 can carry more bombs and has a big gun, but when most missions dont need all those bombs it can carry, or you cant get close enough to use the gun, usually because of the existence of any "modern" AA threat which the A-10 is hard pressed to defeat and survive, you're going to use the other aircraft you have stationed there. And these aircraft will always be there. It's like the P-47. A purpose designed long range escort that was all over the European theater and could be effectively used to attack ground targets.

[@uncay2769]

yep he carry better than any epic gamer

[@jjthejjetplane]

@@jordan9961 their plan to phase it out could have heavily contributed to this. Especially as of recent. Also the USAF learned their lesson in Iraq and Afghanistan by sitting the A-10 out of many operations when other aircraft, mainly the F-16 weren't nearly as effective.

[@jonboyd9186]

4 years in Germany, maybe a dozen A-10 inflight emergencies the whole time, the F-16’s a dozen a month easy. Went there loving them both, left loving the A-10.

[@mr.normalguy69]

Because in *BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*, we trust.

[@digitalsoldierxp9027]

Ah yes

[@grizzly6699]

Beat me to the punch line :)

[@sebsunda]

LOL!!! This comment should be on top!

[@DrakeHunter324]

It's the Chuck Norris of aircraft.

[@user-pt3df8ch9n]

You mean the freedom yeeter?

[@papabeanguy]

* flying freedom yeeter

[@cnlbenmc]

*Freedom Yeeting INTENSIFIES!*

[@pimpinaintdeadho]

👏👏👏

[@johnwells6486]

It yeets freedom at 1776 freedoms per eagle

[@gundam2jimmy]

Why? Easy. BRRRRRTTTT!!!!!

[@slice1419]

Love the A10 saved me and my squads ass in 2009 during OIF

[@troyfortsch4440]

Because, when you’re pinned down. The A10 flies in like the hand of God. And the GAU-8 is its middle finger.

[@darkhelmetsplane]

Troy Fortsch; Elvis the smoking skeleton and Boingo both rule ...almost as much as God's middle finger which is the ultimate dead-man's party trick and reminds us all that "no one lives forever..."

[@MrBrewsk]

And what a lovely middle finger it is

[@kennethkustren9381]

Analogy Perfection !!

[@killman369547]

+Troy Fortsch. that and they aren't hit & runners like some other jets, they'll stay overhead continue pounding enemy positions until they're out of gas or ammo.

[@Telyzan]

AMEN BROTHER!!!

[@WeencieRants]

You know the difference between the A10 and Chuck Norris? The A10 is still in service. Nuff said

[@Tora1337]

BRRRRRRRRRT!!

[@homefront3162]

BRRRRRRRRTTTT

[@codycoffman2932]

Best comment ive read! Ever!

[@irenerivera4827]

Chuck Norris owns a 40mm cannon

[@skipjackjohnson5528]

The norris is still in. Hes just gone cognito.

[@kyotra]

"It's expensive to fix." Well yeah, no shit, _it get's shot at._ Every other NATO aircraft either hangs out at a comfortable distance or absolutely outmatches who they're fighting. If we ever get in a war with someone competent you'll start seeing maintenance costs spike across the entire board.

[@justachipn3039]

A-10s are very easy to do maintenance on... and the same for any part replacements.

[@kyotra]

@@justachipn3039 Oh I'm aware, we had a reserve unit at my base who maintained them so I got to see some of that. Everything is bolts and screws and pull-through rivets, shit made me jelly with how easy it looked.

[@justachipn3039]

@@kyotra Yup... they couldn't build such a strong warrior today that doesn't need 3 hot's a day... same for the pilots !!!

[@mohammadwasilliterate8037]

YUP,,,,bullet holes and missile frag costs a lot to repair ….

[@justachipn3039]

@@mohammadwasilliterate8037 lol N1... The Pilots will tell them to use duct tape and gas it up !!!

[@Mathwayb]

Haven't even watched the video yet, but I can answer the question. "Why are we so obsessed with the A-10 Thunderbolt?" Because its awesome.

[@brotheracastus3400]

I think the real answer is because 'BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT'

[@Paperguide152]

Was going to say the same thing lol

[@Chris-ji4iu]

I was thinking the same thing (without having watched the video either) but in more detail: It is big, ugly, can take a beating, punches way above it weight ...the typical underdog - at least at first glance. I would call it "America's" plane.

[@michaelfrench3396]

FYI the a-10 is built with belly landings in mind. Being a close air support aircraft, it was expected that it would take a fair amount of damage. If you look closely, even when the main landing gear is retracted, the wheels still protrude a bit and spin freely. So the airframe isn't taking the brunt of the initial impact 👍👍

[@kawrx2002]

And theres a reinforced skidplate under the nose to slide on the ground since the nosewheel will not touch the ground in the event of failed hydraulics.

[@Gottaculat]

Don't forget that 3" titanium "bathtub" that surrounds the cockpit. Gives a man the confidence to charge into a hail of bullets knowing he's shielded.

[@Robert53area]

Its not the only CAS aircraft from the 80s with the same design, the Su25 is built with this in mind as well. And the engines are built under neath, so anti aircraft target the armored belly, not the tell piece. These two aircraft are designed to their craft and have done it perfectly for almost 40 years and still going.

[@100GTAGUY]

I was going to mention the same feature of the protruding main landing gear for belly landings. Nothing like being able to skid down a runway gear up after limping back from battle and still have the aircraft return to service after giving it some tlc

[@sebastianodiraviolo499]

@@Robert53area while i absoluty Love the A10 i have to say thats untrue because it IS designed as a Tank Buster in the european theatre in Case of WW3, a Task it couldnt fulfill today because it Lacks the Speed and maneuvrability to be competitive against new AA systems as Well as Jets and its firepower is also no longer able to reliably penetrate newer tanks

[@jonoel6638]

Yes the airframe is VERY strong, yes the pilots deserve applause for being able to fly the damaged aircraft safely back to base, but please also give credit to the maintainers who repair and keep an old aircraft flying.

[@justachipn3039]

It's the easiest aircraft to do maintenance and part replacements... and engine change outs are no sweat.

[@neillenhart6838]

JUSTACHIPN if you needed to do a Powerplant swap on the A-10 how long would it take? Just curious causeI’m an A&P mechanic and wish I had the opportunity to work on this bad boy.

[@justachipn3039]

@@neillenhart6838 There's only 2 A arms that bolt to the pylon... you can google everything now days how to's are a miracle... wish I had them growing up !!! Im a retired NAVY Carrier Vet... industrial AC&R + heavy metal fab Mechanic service tech my whole life. Have fun !!!

[@returntonature8773]

They need to keep making them.

[@benedictodunsky2790]

Ah no Us engineers dont need any shout out man At least me and my friends feel that We always glad to help you guys do "indirect combat" by repairing stuff Trust me Lmao

[@Roadkillz3666]

The thing is, The A - 10 is a gun, but then the military came in and said "Make gun fly".

[@crazyredneck4931]

Yeah they literally designed the plane around the gun

[@majestichotwings6974]

if the A-10 must be replaced, then let it be replaced with a second-gen A-10, it's a monster in the sky and it's absolutely Iconic to the modern U.S Military

[@angus57720]

Better Idea: Just build more A-10s.

[@fuckinantipope5511]

Your picture makes me hungry

[@majestichotwings6974]

Ryan McCallum well if the problem is that it’s becoming an outdated platform then the solution would be to make a better platform (preferably a new generation of A-10)

[@ragnarokstravius2074]

@@majestichotwings6974 "If the A-10A/C is so good, why there is no A-10A/C 2?" "Because you can't improve on perfection."

[@Jacob-pu4zj]

armedassault.fandom.com/wiki/A-164_Wipeout

[@tompalmer5986]

When I was in the army the A-10 was just coming out. We'd watch in awe as it fired on the firing range, making that buzz saw sound. Forgive me if I am wrong, but doesn't an A-10 cost considerably less to maintain than any fighter? I know it cost less to buy. If I had been president in 1980 I would have built 3,000 of these planes.

[@jamesharding3459]

The BRRRRRRRRT has saved my life. I will be forever grateful for it, and defend it to the last.

[@chrisslays7373]

James Harding thank you for your service.

[@Mike-bn8tr]

And so he took another for yours ... War is hell

[@robertf3479]

James … Thank you for your service. Different services perhaps but still brothers in uniform.

[@MegaMerlin96]

You know what's better than being saved by an aircraft? Not going to war.

[@kogmawboss]

Merlyn Myrkur nigga

[@Gerbs1913]

"We need a new close air support aircraft." "Ok." *Fairchild delivers a flying tank with a 30mm cannon*

[@ndcentral8194]

No no, Fairchild delivers a 30mm cannon with a flying tank.

[@seaniannazzo8524]

@@ndcentral8194 the proper response to that problem

[@epikmanthe3rd]

The A10 was nearly the YA10. It was competing against the Northrop YA9, both designed to carry the GAU-8 avenger.

[@gonzo38pp53]

I was in the third armored cavalry when I was in the army, we were running M 60 tanks back then and I loved to see that warthog hanging over my shoulder! Brrrrrrrrrt Sounds like victory. I think they should keep it as long as they possibly can as long as it can continue to do the job. The cost of maintaining this aircraft surely must be cheaper than the cost of building a new one.

[@LouSaydus]

The a-10 costs about 6k per hour to fly. F-35? Nearly 30k. F-22? almost 35k per hour. The a-10 might be old but it's cheap as hell to fly and maintain.

[@gonzo38pp53]

LouSaydus keep them in the air ass long ass They are still able to fly and function!

[@Lemon-uz4mc]

What's the difference between an F35 and an A10? The F35 is a fighter that comes with a gun and straps bombs on it, while the A10 is a 30mil gatling with two engines and wings, along with bombs on it. It's so iconic and so reliable as a close air support aircraft. Love it.

[@Gunni1972]

The A-10 is a Vulcan cannon, 18000lbs of ordonnance with a Plane attached to it.

[@jagerdergroe8604]

The F35 is not even a proper fighter.

[@kcimb]

Rahul Thakur the f35 is very much a proper fighter. Ask the Iranians

[@beepool4849]

*How to ship a gun to war* Other nations:send it through a cargo plane America:build a plane around it and fly it there

[@stonefox9124]

F35 is a plane with a gun on it. A10 is a gun with a plane on it.

[@adhominem_]

Internet: let's storm area 51, they can't stop all of us A10: (laughs in BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT)

[@tripwire3992]

Is it weird that I'd love to see whatever's left after an a10 did a run on an isis truck because I get the feeling the a10 turned isis into waswas

[@dylannix4289]

SakuraSabre Wait, what truck are you referring to- Ohh, you mean that smoldering pile of molten metal over there

[@TeneBoot]

I know it never happened but during the time before the "raid" i bet none of them realized that a hog could kill over half of the raiders

[@hawkshot1276]

Fairchild Republic have basically made great ground attackers for every generation. They made the P-47 Thunderbolt, then the F-84 Thunderjet, then the F-105 Thunderchief, and finally, the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

[@aaronlonghuynh5245]

And they all start with “Thunder”

[@ragnarokstravius2074]

The Thunder Family, flexing on all other Aircraft since WW2.

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

The P-47 was designed as a heavy fighter I thought, it just happened to be a very handy ground attack plane (too)

[@SquireDAF]

@@zxbzxbzxb1 It was a good fighter, just the daft amount of rockets and bombs you could bolt to it, along with loads of 50 cals it was handy to have around in ground attack

[@Ag3nt0fCha0s]

The F105? Nope.

[@brolutiongaming3983]

I don’t think it’s just the plane. It’s the hardcore tough pilots that fly them. Their pilots are some of the most down to earth guys. They don’t have an ego and they do their job when needed. They’re some of the most talented pilots too.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

The lack of ego is due to the fact that they have nothing to proove, they can just exist and do their job.

[@f1reguy587]

When ur within range of absolutely any gun in the area, you can’t just be any pilot. I’m not sure how you train for this aircraft, but they might as well strap the plane to the ground engines and power going and shooting at him showing how much he can take before he gets his license or something, because it does seem like they know the limits of the airframe. And how much does an F22 cost in a year? Surely the A10 is cheaper. And it’s been around so long I’d imagine every soldier could help fix it.

[@jager6863]

Air Farce Politicians who wear Stars on their collars, decided to shift the A-10 over to National Guard units, rather than have the "real air force" flying those things. Of course, "Best laid plans...", the National Guard usually received old "hand-me-down" jets from the Air Force and to get brand new aircraft was simply unheard of in that service. In addition, the Guard is made up of old pilots, with lots of flight hours and experience, so they are better at their job than the new kids. So rather than help kill the plane, by shifting them to the Air Guard, the perfumed princes actually manned them with the best and most experienced pilots and ground crews. Also, in the Guard, you have part-time personnel who have real lives outside the politics of the service (for the most part), so the Mission of protecting our troops is what matters, not promotions and staff positions and their personal greatness, at the expense of others, etc.

[@scottdean2199]

I think you'll find Marine F/A-18 pilots of similar mindset, but a fast jet just isn't capable of the same level of CAS as the A-10.

[@f1reguy587]

Scott Dean I think there’s a certain comfort in knowing that if you have speed you can get away, the A10 doesn’t have that comfort. What I guess could be scary is if the A10 is removed from service, what plane can you put a guy (or girl I guess) in that’s not going to fail where the A10 excels and killing them.

[@armastat]

Why do I love it? Its like bringing a shotgun to a knife fight, lol. In hilly terrain a flight of them is pure murder and very very scary.

[@dedpewl9242]

An automatic belt fed shotgun.

[@convolutedconcepts]

I don't understand why you'd want to get rid of a plane that can be repaired rather then replaced. It's the Ak-47 of aircraft.

[@MyWatchIsEnded]

Because top leaders get paid extra for making contracts with arms dealers regardless of the effect of their deals. It's all money games at the cost of us soldiers, Marines, and airmen lives.

[@OvertonWindex]

Well because it breaks constantly. Code 2s but still. That's why.

[@convolutedconcepts]

@@QualityPen the Ak47 reference is about reliability durability and easily repaired. A testament to its design. Which is why all modern Aks follow the same blueprint. Like the Mg3.

[@ndcentral8194]

@@QualityPen The A-10 was never designed to conduct operations in contested airspace.

[@bowez9]

@@QualityPen F35 lol. Tries to do everything and ends up doing nothing well. Just keep building F16s F18s and A10s.

[@TexasCat99]

The A10... The only aircraft that comes to personally mess you up.

[@scottyfox6376]

Yes maybe. But the Russian equivalent Su25t (FrogFoot) isn't a slouch either. Both aren't something I would want to see as an insurgent coming at me.😰

[@wcresponder]

If I may ..... just for consideration....with all rightly due respect........ offer the C-130 spooky.

[@KoishiVibin]

the more based option is the F35 the sheer disrespect of throwing a laser bomb at someone and just not even coming into range

[@DeKrampus]

A voice from the heavens said - "Lo, I need an angel. I need one that strikes fear in my enemies. With a scream of an eagle and a thunderous burst, that will rain fire upon them. One that will move swiftly and gracefully through the skies. One that will take the torment of my enemies, while protecting thy sons and daughters on the battlefield. Gleefully returning to face wrath once more. Sherman Fairchild stared up to the heavens and said - "700 or so sound good?" A light shone from heavens, the voice from above said - "Make the thunderous sound, sound like BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT! Fairchild said - "DONE!" The Army was pleased and Air Force brass was pissed off!

[@JerichoYeet]

"I recommand you guys won't shoot me down. Because your guns go pew pew, while my gun go *BRRRRRRRRRR"* -Cyanide 2016

[@ardantop132na6]

Classic quote.

[@b.s.t.a.4267]

Nobody hate this classic ZF team quotes. Right guys?

[@ardantop132na6]

As a wise man once said. "And I glad it got well because, it was well deserved." "This is trash. STOP FUCKING DOING IT! Jesus." -Cyanide, Random Space Engineer Bullshittery part 2

[@Frisher1]

Its *BRRRRRRRRT* Not *BRRRRRRRRRRR* russian spy!

[@JerichoYeet]

@@Frisher1 Yes :)

[@publiusscipio5697]

Because it’s a machine with a singular purpose: destruction. And it does it beautifully.

[@arx3516]

What about a nuclear warhead carryng Tornado? Is it enough destruction for you?

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@arx3516 not enough dakka ;)

[@davidlee1770]

@@SonsOfLorgar ))))))))))

[@arx3516]

@Dead Channels Collector the huge atomic blast compensates for that! In my opinion nukes are the best, they should equip tanks with the davy crockett, and i long for the day when they can miniaturize 100 gigaton warheads and fit them into fighter jet missiles!

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@arx3516 no. Nukes are the worst, and your arguments only expose you as a moron. 1) They are indiscriminate. 2) They contaminate. 3) They have too high yield to focus on anything smaller than a city district and is thus wasteful.

[@customerservice1565]

I love this jet. I see them fly around where I live, sometimes daily. Hope they stay for as long as possible.

[@Forgetthereality]

They built a flying tank around a giant rapid fire gun... Who couldnt love that?

[@foxtrot312]

The enemy couldn't

[@davidstone326]

Correction: they built a giant rapid fire gun and wrapped a flying tank around it.

[@mg4956]

@@davidstone326 nope, OP is right.

[@BoleDaPole]

Taliban and ISIS fucking hate the thing

[@paulthiessen6467]

Allah loves it because it brings so many of his followers into his arms.

[@ericjohnson7234]

That is a great point, we should bring more of his followers into his caring embrace.

[@damianm-nordhorn116]

First, there's only one God. Whether you name him good Allah, Yehova or, well.. God.

[@damianm-nordhorn116]

Secondly, you either lack historical knowledge or are simply too young to remember the conflicts on the Balkans. Back then, in the later stages/the Kosovo conflict, the Brrrrrrrr actually protected followers of Islam against Orthodox 'Christians'. That's why RT (Russia Today) and other right-wing media here in Europe every now and then dig up the story of the US spraying the area with 'toxic' uranium-hardened 30mm ammunition, bitching about it and trying to smear the USofA.

[@Zim-lee3]

Funny😂

[@thecryptidconspiratorialth2208]

@@damianm-nordhorn116 pretty sure the Balkans weren't what he was referring to with that comment.

[@50StichesSteel]

I love this aircraft..I still remember vividly the first time I heard that canvas ripping sound. I was on a training mission months before out first tour. I jumped out of our Strykers to take a break. Heard the BBBBBRPT and literally quickly ran for cover before I can even process what happened lol. The A10 firing range was right by us...Of course I later learned that if you're hearing that sound it's already too late to duck for cover lol...Later on seeing this thing in combat was amazing. First you hear these cracks and pops of the rounds hitting the area you called in, then you look up at the A10 diving like an Eagle going after ground prey. It would already be pulling up and flaring off because actually watching the A10 at the beginning of its attack is 100% silent. You just see smoke coming off the nose then hear the gun followed by the impacts if you're far away. If you're close by or are the target you get hit before you even know what's happening. The only thing you hear is the rounds hitting the ground and exploding

[@reclusiarchgrimaldus1269]

+ Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Amen 🙏!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this FLAME." In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ." Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE." And please repent of all of your sins and be baptized by the Holy Spirit before it is too late, you will never know when the time will come 🙏!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amen 🙏!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@reclusiarchgrimaldus1269]

Are you saved by Jesus Christ, my friend? Please believe before it is too late!!!!!!! 🙏!!!!!!! Amen 🙏!!!!!!!

[@paststeve1]

1st aircraft ever to be built around its primary weapon. Start with the cannon, make it fly.

[@kidbach]

are you a Chaplain in the US Marines? because you speak BRRRRRRRTTTT!!!

[@grandmaster-grouch]

1st ugly aircraft I would go gay for

[@paststeve1]

@@kidbach Sempbrrrrrrrrrrrt Fi!

[@wahlex841]

Ehh... pretty sure it's not that uncommon.

[@paststeve1]

@@wahlex841 Please enlighten us good sir.

[@Weruthan]

As long as we have boots on the ground, we need the A-10 overhead.

[@ixion_cyb]

If you hear the brrrrt when you know you're still alive

[@hadeshusband2063]

I believe the bullets travel faster than sound so when you hear the *BRRRRRT* Just know you're blessed

[@mikejo8194]

No brrrrrrrrrrrt then that means your dead

[@pivottech8881]

@@mikejo8194 no if you hear brrrrttt you weren't the target and that should be remembered

[@seka1986]

That’s the warthog fart!

[@peterjohanneseikemoolsen6893]

@@hadeshusband2063 And Now They Got Rail-GunBased Emunition ;)

[@ReMembrane]

It's because the a10's design is effective first, instead of expensive first like most us programs.

[@wetlettuce4768]

The only people getting rich off the A-10 are whoever supplies the cannon rounds.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

@@wetlettuce4768 Boeing got a massive payday from the contract to make new wings.

[@Xandros999]

Weapons development IS expensive first because the development cost is split over however many planes are produced. Like if you spend 200 million developing a plane that you'll only build two of they'll both get +100million on their price tag.

[@romeo-delta1954]

A (BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTT) a day keeps the terrorists away.

[@hudson2441]

Its got a lot of other design features besides the gun. Same fuel efficient engines as the Navy S-3 Vikings (no longer in service). Mounted at an angle harder to pick up by ground radar. . if the Air Force doesn't want it Im pretty sure the Army and Marines would fly it into the next century. And if the US didn't want it I'm sure every military that's ever been on the receiving end of an A-10 wants as many as they can buy.

[@ericfredrickson5517]

For the Army to get their hands on the A-10, it will take an Act of Congress to move it from the Air Force to the Army. The Army isn't allowed to have Fixed Wing Attack or CAS aircraft, but it should only take a short paragraph in a resolution by Congress to make it so. However, you know how smart, effective and honest Congress is, sooooo.... In 2020, everyone elect good conservatives (i.e., Republicans), to Congress.

[@piotrd.4850]

Funny thing about S-3 Vikings - despite being carrier based aircraft, they have tons of lifetime in airfraimes and they could be easily enough upgraded for many meaningful roles...

[@steveaustin2686]

Yeah, the Key West agreement would have to be scrapped for the Army to get the A-10. That agreement restricted combat aircraft to the Air Force, but helicopters weren't really accounted for. I believe that the dedicated CAS aircraft and their budget, should be transferred to the Army. The Air Force can keep the multi-role aircraft.

[@robincray116]

@@steveaustin2686 I think the airforce worrying the army will steal their CAS budget might have been part of the reason why the A-10 was built in the first place. Why the air force still hates the A10 despite this might tell us alot about the nature of interservice rivalry.

[@steveaustin2686]

@@robincray116 The A-10 isn't a sexy, fast mover aircraft. The USAF has interceptors, bombers, and multi-role aircraft for fighting the air battle. The A-10 isn't part of the air battle that the USAF has to fight and is something to protect instead. So they would rather have multi-role aircraft cover CAS, even if that degrades CAS capabilities.

[@maxsmodels]

I was in the army when the A-10 had just started service. It was/is amazing. I was in the 101st airborne so we hand no armor. The A-10 was our tank. We loved it. The brass love high and fast. The grunts like low, slow and close. Keep it...forever.

[@ronlawrence5021]

Same story here, Max. First time I saw them flying was over Bicycle Lake at the National Training Center in the (very) early 80's. We convinced ourselves we saw those planes stall in the sky when they opened up with that GAU-8. As a tanker, we were all instructed to take out anti-aircraft pieces before we started engaging enemy tanks.....because if the A10's didn't have to worry about AA, their ground support capability made them truly legendary on the battlefield.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

The hills are alive with the sound of BRRRRRRRRRRRTTTT

[@homefront3162]

LOL 👍🏻

[@That_One_User_314]

The Hills Have BRRRRTTTTTT.

[@badferritbadferrit5526]

Lmfao just gun a put a big brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt.

[@aslaughter4215]

Children are scared of monsters Terrorists are scared of 30mm gatling guns with wings

[@onelastdawn9991]

Is there a difference

[@aslaughter4215]

@@onelastdawn9991 are we talking about columbine or isis

[@franklins4312]

2 reasons: #1 As an Ex-Para I love CAS. #2 Its the only plane getting hit in the back by birds.

[@jordanclark2427]

I absolutely love the A-10, especially due to the fact that I work on them every day. These are a cake walk to work on and everything is mostly maintenance friendly.

[@Ohne_Silikone]

I think it is the most beautiful aircraft ever created.

[@Gottaculat]

I'm more than happy to have my tax dollars funding the A-10. I have friends who probably wouldn't be alive today if that magnificent beast wasn't in the air. Like you said, it's AMAZING at filling the CAS role, and the only way we could ever justify replacing it is if we replace it with an aircraft worthy of the title "Thunderbolt III." While the F-35B is absolutely crazy cool, IMHO, it's no A-10. If the A-10 was somehow turned into a short take-off or VTOL like the F-35B, but maintained its firepower and armor, I think we'd have a new candidate for the Thunderbolt III. If we want to cut costs, how 'bout we reduce the pay of senators and congressmen by half? That'd easily make up for it, and perhaps remind those assholes in D.C. that they're public servants, not friggin' nobility/royalty.

[@semperparatus678]

Bingo, thank you!!

[@guyontheinternet8891]

Well said!

[@mhail7673]

The lack of stupid tech makes the A-10 the beast it is.

[@Malikyte13]

The F-35 isn't really good for anything other than showing off fancy new tech. Its entire development life has been the definition of "Waste, Fraud, & Abuse." If our military was run responsibly, the F-35 never would have made it past the prototype stage. We should've stopped dumping funding into that money pit a long time ago, the amount of money that has been wasted on trying to make that abomination "Serviceable" is mind-boggling and completely flies in the face of any claims that the F-35 is meant to be more cost-effective than the A-10. Upgrading the Warthog's avionics and countermeasures would have been way cheaper in the long run than constantly throwing money at the F-35 and hoping something useful came of it. And you're absolutely right. Politicians make way too much money for the "work" (if you can even call it work in most cases) that they do. They're the real ones sucking this country dry. Exorbitant annual salaries, free healthcare for life for them and their families, retirement, Secret Service protection details - politicians are the biggest financial scam this country has ever seen.

[@travelbugse2829]

As Brit I support you 100%, sir! At least you guys don't have aircraft carriers without planes. Politicians and cutbacks. Give me strength...

[@DinoNucci]

Chuck Norris picked a fight with an A10 about 38 years ago and they are still fighting today

[@wetlettuce4768]

The fight was a draw but out of mutual respect they have never told anyone about it.

[@MrShadowpanther3]

@@wetlettuce4768 Just that slight head nod, acknowledging a worthy opponent.

[@_MrTrue]

Because it's badass and extremely effective. Also BRRRRRRRRRRRT

[@LIE4ME]

Ive watched videos of the Airforce pilots tell tales of firing danger close 30mm rounds. Ive watched videos that play the actual radio transmissions of Marines and others that have a sense of urgency so tangible I found it hard to swallow. Rounds landing from recieving effective fire, mortar shells landing and a pilot confirming where the target is before BRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTT! The camaraderie the pilots have with the men they protect forms a bond so genuine it's easy to see why these Patriots have a hard time adjusting to civilian life.

[@DarienDragonFox]

Its the best aircraft known to man and carries its own battle cry when it fires. Truly a beast of the sky.

[@markymark3522]

Just put it back into production until a truly superior replacement comes along.

[@Optionsaregood]

A classic example of design and built to purpose.

[@FilipusWisnumurti]

Papa P-47 to his son A-10 be like : i'm so proud of you, son

[@stevejohnson174]

the P-47 was far more important as an air-to-air weapon. It fucking broke the Luftwaffe, the most advanced and experienced air-force in existence by the beginning of the War.

[@Dr.Westside]

And the F6F Hellcat broke the Japanese air power .

[@ugrena7419]

@@Dr.Westside God, the Hellcat and P47's are some fucking eye candy, though.

[@MajorCaliber]

"JUG" and the mighty PW2800 FTW!! (and when TF will Hollyweird stop casting P-51s in the ground attack role!?!???)

[@MajorCaliber]

@@stevejohnson174 Big American (and some Canadian) iron at it's best! It just out-muscled everything the Luftwaffe had. "Excuse me Mr. Pilot, would you like turbocharging or supercharging?..." "BOTH, and wedge in 2 extra Ma Deuces and twice the ammo of other fighters... and hang a 13.4 foot diameter PROP on the front to fling me through the sky at > 400 knots, and out-climb every other piston fighter in service..." :D

[@debmalyadatta1761]

very distinctive and unmistakeable

[@hudsonball4702]

A-10 does what it says on the can. *Sending your enemies to hell one BRRRRRRRRT at a time.*

[@jameshenry3530]

The Air Force dislike of the A-10 is rooted in the fact that the main mission, ground support, is loathed by that service. The only reason the A-10 was purchased in the 1970s was to keep the Army from taking that mission away from the Air Force. There have been countless Air Force attempts to retire the A-10; always thwarted by supporters in the legislature.

[@travisjohnson6703]

That's because the A10 is obsolete. That gun? Worthless against modern tanks and largely worthless against contemporary tanks. The infamous bathtub? Proof against 23mm rounds, when the Soviets were upgrading to 27 and 30mm. Now, for awhile, it was a fantastic long loiter JDAM and missile truck, but drones do the same thing, for cheaper, and for longer, and without putting airmen at risk. They actually pulled the A10's back in both Gulf Wars because they were vulnerable to Iraqi AAA, while F15's took over for them. The strength of the A10 is the ground focused pilot, not the plane itself. And that training and culture must be carried forward into the future. But the air force hates the A10 because they have better tools for the job.

[@Chopstorm.]

@@travisjohnson6703 Its a pretty big moral booster for the troops I'm sure. Really though, the History Channel doted on it for years. Growing up I used to watch a lot of their segments on military equipment, and the A-10 saw more than it's fair share of the spotlight. We all know how accurate the history channel is though.

[@KageRyuu6]

@@travisjohnson6703 Most insurgents don't have tanks let alone modern ones, and 30mm is a whole hell lot more cost effective than missiles in your typical ground attack mission. Regardless until a drone can carry the GAU-8, you won't have a leg to stand upon.

[@travisjohnson6703]

@@KageRyuu6 The A10 costs way more to fly than a drone, is more likely to commit friendly fire given that a drone has multiple people involved in confirming strikes, and a good SDB strike with shrapnel will fuck up an area just as much as the GAU8 without needing a whole plane built around it, and for far cheaper to boot. The A10's heyday is past, and there are other things that do it's job just as well for cheaper. People just think with their dick instead of their brain.

[@terranceroff8113]

@@travisjohnson6703 Travis, all true. cept for one little itty bitty but really important point. The systems you speak of exist but are not widely deployed. Most of 'em are still on Materials Command eval and the like. Until they are deployed in "real" numbers we need the A-10. Also, while drones and such are all well and good they need an operator. Autonomous drones are not happening yet. Remote operators can be signal jammed rendering your high tech drone utterly useless. We'll always need some purpose built manned ground attack aircraft. Until it can be comprehensively shown we don't. I recall a few years back the pundits were saying the age of the tank is past. Yea that turned out real true too.

[@Ryan-zd4rv]

I'll always be thankful to Bert for what he did for me. Saved me life

[@caboosemacs]

It's basically a pecker, with a body built around it. Like how troops used to sit on the turrets of tanks with the cannon between their legs, it's power incarnate.

[@Rasmos]

caboosemacs calm down Freud

[@jimbyers7957]

2 things....First, the A-10 is not expensive to operate, maintenance, or repair. For an attack air-frame, it's one of the least expensive to operate per flight hour. Some top brass in the Air Force arectrying to look out for future high paying positions awaiting them at retirement for their support of the F-35 program, as the A-10, along with the F/A-18, was earmarked as one of the platforms the F-35 was to replace. And the Air Force's 'Old Guard' did not want their assets bothered with protecting Army, Navy, Marine troops/assets, and those services would have their own variant of F-35 to stop that trend once and for all. But as we've seen over the last two years, support for the A-10, and the realization the F-35 has other mountains to climb, has ended retirement talks for the Warthog for another decade or so. Second, I bristled when I felt your narrative vere into friendly fire territory. It was no fault of the aircraft, for certain. Friendly fire incidents are a part of war. Sad but true. But only the A-10 seems to carry that brand more than anything in history. Artillery has taken thousands of lives via friendly fire over the centuries, yet its seldom mentioned. Bombers in WW2, tens of thousands. Perhaps hundreds of thousands, then, and in the wars since. Women, children..... I know you don't mean anything derogatory by mentioning those incidents. But,...why does the A-10 repeatedly come up as the poster child for all of this with only a few cases and a handful of lives lost? Because people keep perpetuating the hype the mainstream media whipped up over it in Gulf when, to stand out from the myriad press presence in the Gulf in an effort to garner higher ratings and more viewers, a mole hill was made to appear as a mountain. War had changed, and its surgical precision, minute collateral casualties, and blindingly fast resolution left it looking almost boring to the press. There were no news exclusives, or "scoops". The press were herded into a room, no 'one' seat better than any other. And they were shown via battle cams exactly what happened. 30 minute battle cam briefings completely leveled the playing field , showing how sterile reporting on it would become. No more front line battle correspondents like the ones they had admired growing up as kids. Legends they aspired to be like. The war was where they were going to make their careers, like so many legendary trailblazers before them. They were going to shine.... But they didn't....they couldn't. The military did their jobs better than they ever could, and it bloody drove them nuts. So they went dark. Big surprise. When it happened, its all they talked about and reported on for the rest of the war and for years after. Time to put that puppy to bed.

[@chevychase3103]

@Kevin Counihan Jim put quotation marks at the beginning and end is that one paragraph?

[@damaan1243]

4:50 oh hey it's an M10- *_(disintegration)_*

[@revolverDOOMGUY]

BTW the video about the F35 you are planning should be titled "The chad A-10 vs the virgin F35"

[@masterofpuppets7295]

Israel and the americans have used the f35 in combat to great effect from the sounds of it to so it ain't no virgin!

[@Cha-Khia]

Comparing an ground attack aircraft to a fighter aircraft is like comparing a shotgun to a sniper rifle, they serve vastly different purposes.

[@ppipowerclass]

hahaha under rated comment. The F35 is a turd.

[@revolverDOOMGUY]

@@Cha-Khia I agree!! Everyone with a brain agrees! That's the problem!! Why is the U.S. Army pushing the f35 to become the next close air support aircraft? They keep saying they want to replace the A10 with the F35 when one is a ground support bomber and the other one is a multirole jet fighter.

[@mappies123]

@@ppipowerclass >2019 >still claiming the f35 is a turd

[@fal3881]

Delta 9 : "We need air support now!" HQ : "Some F-22 ready on your location" Delta 9 : " *Real* air support!" HQ : "Ok ok" Air Support : *BRRRRRRRRRRRRT*

[@emptyforrest]

and lets not forget about the effect on morale this thing has. postive moral boost for friendlies and the power of painting the enemies pants brown.

[@larrysmith1568]

Because it is very good. It belongs in the same class as the DC3 and B52. It can fly forever.

[@marcducati]

It's affordable, reliable, tough as bricks, everything the F35 isn't.

[@ganonstonebreaker4231]

@Big Bill O'Reilly Pentagon just called, we need another $3 billion.

[@cyrilchui2811]

The idea that a 100m F35 can replace a workhorse on low flying close support mission is sick. F35 would just come and drop and disappear because Pentagon would not want to risk a 100m aircraft. But then someone need to justify F35 program....

[@hiteshadhikari]

@Big Bill O'Reilly he is one of the few smart ones

[@marcducati]

@M Σ G Λ Neither is the F35.

[@ShadowFalcon]

Cyril Chui "The idea that a 100m F35 can replace a workhorse on low flying" And there's the idiocy. Close Air Support refers to the placement of munitions in relation to friendly forces, NOT HOW CLOSE THE AIRCRAFT PLACING THOS MUNITIONS ARE TO THE GROUND! The A-10 may be able to take a beating, but it has to, because it's unable to fly high and fast, and even if it could, it wouldn't have the sensors required to do its job while flying high and fast. Why do you think the A-10 was effectively sidelined in the CAS role by F-16s in the Gulf Wars? And not only that, but why do you think the F-16 was able to do more CAS missions, destroy more targets, be involved in fewer Blue-On-Blue incidents, and was shot down less by the A-10, if the A-10 was this supposed CAS gold standard?

[@ecolvill]

It would be a massive mistake to withdraw the A-10 until a true replacement can be found. Proposed ideas, such as the Super Tucano or the F-35, have serious flaws. The Super Tucano is fine for low-intensity CAS and is cheaper to operate, but its payload is tiny and it cannot offer the raw power of the A-10. Trying to make the F-35 a CAS replacement is laughable. Talk about expensive to operate, and just not right for the job at all. Additionally the A-10 has that X factor that no other plane of its type has enjoyed, except maybe the Su-25: Instilling confidence for the men on the ground, and inspiring fear in the enemy. The sheer psychological impact of the A-10 is a weapon in and of itself, and it's time tested and proven over and over again. I have had so many friends and acquaintances who have been personally saved by this beast. The sheer sight of one can bring hope to the troops on the ground in harm's way. Besides the wonderful BRRRRRT gun, its sheer ruggedness is unique in American military aviation. It keeps its pilot alive under circumstances that would crumble any other American aircraft. The Su-25 I am certain is a rugged beast, too, but the A-10 brings so much hurt to the battlefield in the form of damn near 8 tons of external weapons. The Su-25 can bring in just short of 5 tons, which isn't bad at all. I just wonder if an improved A-10 variant could be built with modern materials, avionics and systems, etc. Like an A-10 Super Thunderbolt - built on the same lines and fully modern, but still doing the same job as the original A-10. I wouldn't think that would be overly expensive (relatively) since they can engineer its replacement on the same lines. And heck, if the Air Force doesn't want the damn thing, the Army would sure love it. Hell, give em the C-130s and their variants so the Air Force can focus on the more high-spec aircraft. That way CAS and logistical support can be handled by the Army for the Army. Just my 2 cents.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

The A10 is wholly unsuited to high intensity conflict. They fell like flys to out of date IR MANPADS in their operational history, they would be utterly defenceless against operational range SAM sites.

[@Malikyte13]

"I just wonder if an improved A-10 variant could be built with modern materials, avionics and systems, etc" The answer is yes, yes it could. But try telling that to shit-for-brains politicians who have never even served in the military, much less seen actual combat, and have no fucking clue what the military actually needs. All they see is numbers. Money, men, beans, and bullets. They're so detached from the real world it's astounding. Almost makes me wish prior military service was mandatory for all upper-level political positions. How can they run this country's military without even knowing the first thing about it? It's asinine.

[@Malikyte13]

@@ineednochannelyoutube5384 That has nothing to do with the A-10's design or operational doctrine, and is easily remedied with the kinds of updates Elric is talking about. Electronic countermeasures and signal-jamming is not the A-10's job, we have other aircraft for that. There's no such thing as a single universal aircraft that can do everything, despite what those retards pushing the F-35 would like to believe. The A-10 is only one aspect of airborne warfare. It's simply unreasonable to expect it to operate by itself with no support whatsoever to jam communications, radar, etc. despite the fact the A-10 can and does do exactly that in spite of the odds. The survivability of the A-10 airframe is legendary and for good reason. I suspect you're VASTLY exaggerating how "defenseless" you think the A-10 is; the fact she's still flying after all this time, and not only that but EXCELLING at her intended role, shows how invalid your argument is.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I actually think we should adopt the Super Tucano, but not as a replacement for the A-10. The Super Tucano has already proven itself in combat against insurgencies, and there is no reason to spend thousands of dollars killing a truck when a much cheaper Tucano can just as well. The A-10 can handle the more important missions, while the Tucanos clean up the scraps

[@sladjan0705]

@@sirboomsalot4902 This. Super Tucano is good as an alternative option when A-10 is simply overkill

[@maxwellschmidt4498]

As an f16 crew cheif i can say that the A10 is one of the most maintenance friendly aircraft in the airforce as well. Truly amazing

[@OvertonWindex]

As a crew cheif. What about the avionics?

[@arts6821]

I’m obsessed with the A-10 because it can burp longer than anything I know.

[@brokinfengars]

8:15 If you can walk away from the aircraft it was a good landing. If you can walk away AND re-use the aircraft, it was a GREAT landing.

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.

[@stonefox9124]

Same reason everyone is obsessed with dragons... They both breath HEAVY fire.

[@stevenogborn5892]

It's simple. It's effective. It does what it's supposed to do.

[@MrLeet71]

As a combat medic during desert storm I can truthfully say "In Warthog we Trust"

[@rizkisoekartono454]

If i'm being honest, I identify myself as A-10 Warthog

[@Ag3nt0fCha0s]

Sorry, you are not awesome enough for that ID to be valid :-P

[@aviationdude9546]

Lol

[@YorktownUSA]

You are stunning and brave.

[@infectedvector]

Then you definitely belong in the mens room.

[@Xandros999]

Loves: Columns of russian APCs. Hates: Missiles the size of telephone poles.

[@jimic111154]

My Pastor was a crew chief in Desert Storm. Great stories and tales. One of my all time favorite aircraft!!!

[@Prestonesfpv]

Its a slow maneuvering very very hard hitting sledgehammer.... and its beautiful

[@danlabss]

came expecting the meme video, got something of equal quality.

[@dominator167able]

What meme video 😏

[@Duvstep910]

This makes me wanna fly DCS A-10 now. I love the A-10 because it is tougher, meaner, stronger and more beautiful than any jet in the inventory

[@Gunni1972]

i don't like the looks. I don't like Hippos either, but i will admit any day, a Hippo would Own my sorry ass any day or night of the week. Unless i carry a BRRRRT The A-10 is not designed to look great on paper. Or look great at all, it is designed to work, and oh Yes, it does that. Very much.

[@gypsyjr1371]

Because it doesn’t dogfight, it doesn’t do stunts. It comes roaring in over our heads and puts the pain to what we are fighting.

[@tonylester8383]

Give it to the Army or Marine Corp that appreciate it. Then Update Engines, and some avionics, it will be kick-ass to 2060

[@firstgoinpostal]

Add a couple armed rov/drones under each wing. Then two A-10's become a squadron of 10(aka swarm effect).

[@tonylester8383]

@@firstgoinpostal And rear facing sidewinders... ;)

[@ndcentral8194]

The army really wants a hand in fixed wing jurisdiction, solely for the A-10..

[@billgreathouse1913]

Done! Budget just passed a couple of weeks ago. They're getting wing spar refit and more high speed low drag avionics and targeting I believe. Money well spent.

[@marksman712]

@@billgreathouse1913 its A LOT of money to do wing spars though, like A LOT, there isnt an equivalent of it in medicine to give u an example but its like a spine replacement if that were a thing, could probably double your CAS fleet with the same money on things like Super tucanos

[@ronhmclaughlin]

The problem with the loss of the A-10 is not the loss of the platform but a loss of the culture of those who fly it, something that is sorely missing from a large portion of the USAF. Here is some observations from someone has spent the my entire military career doing fire support from the company to the MAGTF level and was a division JTAC manager. Most people attempt to sell the A-10 based on its 30mm gun, which is its least effective weapon; the simple fact is forward firing gun runs may look cool but probably are best as only a suppressive fire system because they hardly ever kill the enemy. If you want to kill people, the best way to do it is put HE on the DMPI. An additional factor in the GAU-8 was it was designed to kill T62 area tanks, testing done in the 90s on modern Russian armor acquired on the grey market showed with the area of armor fielded 20 or so years ago the 30mm would probably only be able to disable and not kill modern armor. Most people think of CAS as only type 1 controls (there are 3 types of controls); most CAS these days are type II controls and the standard TTP is to receive the 9 (or 6) line and attack from the overhead. Most of what is done today is not really CAS because it does not involved the detailed integration of aerial fires and maneuver forces but instead involves strike in relatively close proximity to friendly forces. Most people sell the A-10's survivability as a selling factor. However in ODS A-10s (and other attack Aircraft) initially flew the low level attack profile per their TTP from operating in Europe, shortly the shifted to a medium to high flight profile to bring them outside of the envelope of light to medium ADA. Because although it can survive a few hits, they were receive significant numbers of hits and in an armor versus weapons fight, normally the weapons always evolved beyond the protection of the armor. This has been re-enforced recently in the Ukraine, the Russian SU-25 flying tanks have been readily shot down by the plethora of MPADs somewhat replicating the US 1991 experience. A-10s have been involved in numerous fratricide incidents both in training and in combat and have killed numerous US Marines (and British forces) since 1991. Off the top of my head I can remember cases in which A-10s have put Mavs, LBGs and 30 mm to LAV-25s, AMTRACKs, OPs and British Warrior IFVs because of loss of SA and faulty ID of what they are shooting at. In reality, the best CAS platforms are extremely slow flying, multi-crew aircraft similar to the AC-130s. Rotary wing aircraft also are very good at the mission but cannot bring the heavier punch of average fixed wing aircraft but they make up for it by the much more accurate usage of off axis guns. The creation of the need for JTACs itself is another significant issue; all of grew out of the previously mentioned fratricide incidents in 1991. Later they were seen as a way to mitigate collateral effects but all along the Air Forces position has been different than the Army and Marine Corps. One of the reason that post 2003 JCAS, the Army changed its Aerial fires from CAS to CCA. Both of the ground services desired to field "universal observers" which are sort of what the JTAC is but the current qualification syllabus outstretches the peace time airframes ability to support, let alone the shortage of airframes to support when many of them are deployed overseas.

[@dreamingflurry2729]

The AC-130 only works against low-tech insurgents! Any "real military" just shoots them down, they are after all converted C-130 transport planes which normally operate with escorting fighters and are kept away from heavy AA (which would blow them and whatever they are transporting into a lot of tiny pieces!)...sure gunship-planes are nice, but against a true military even the A-10 would be better than an AC-130!

[@ronhmclaughlin]

DreamingFlurry that is actually the argument against the A10s also, if there is any real threat than they will be doing type 2 or 3 CAS from a distance or not flying at all. The armor they have is insufficient if there is a real threat. In their first combat usage during during operation desert storm enemy AAA was more effective than thought so they changed from their planned low level mission profile to flying the same high level attack profile as other aircraft because even with armor they were being shot down.

[@IronPhysik]

what you wrote is pretty much what my opinion on it is. the A-10 carries the 30mm as dead weight around, because nowadays its rarely used anymore, weight that would be better spend for more ordnance like APKWS rockets. what most A-10s do nowadays is the same mission profile as ANY of the other jets used for CAS in the air force AKA: droping guided weapons from high alt. the best thing would be to create a new plane with a similar role to the A-10, that repalces the Gun with either more fuel, or more place for ordnance. or replace the A-10 in the low thread enviroments with turboprops and in high thread enviroments with the F-35 (smth the USAF is seemingly doing) you dont need to use a multi million dollar bird to support ground troops when a turboprop can do the same thing for MUCH cheaper. it seems like the USAF forgot about all their lessons from vietnam and the OV-10 bronco

[@oceanhome2023]

Vémundr Mega upvotes!

[@oceanhome2023]

Good comment using a gun getting close enough to shoot it and adjusting the entire aircraft to aim the damn thing to the exclusion of everything else is not that successful. You probably can take out 3 tanks with 3 Burps . But each one of the 8 fire and forget anti tank missiles will take out a tank .

[@robertlaterza3428]

In 1978, I lived on Long Island, New York and just turned 18 years old and was hired by Fairchild Republic to be a Hydrualic Mechanic on the A-10. This was my first job and quite a few people were counting on me to do it right. Prior to beginning working I was taken into a room and shown a video of what this amazing jet could do. To tell you the least I would not want to be on the receiving end. From 1978 to 1983, I was able to work on over 600 ships installing the aft, right and left trough hydrualics. It was great being a part of something that would keep our troops safe. May the A-10, (Warthog) live on.

[@MeanLaQueefa]

Because Brrrrrrttttttt. Matsimus dropping great content 🤙 also They look and sound awesome from my backyard. A few weeks ago we had a p51 A10 F22 and F35 flying in formation over Lake Michigan for the Air show

[@randycollins87]

We love it because it’s doing the AF’s job to provide ground support

[@warbirdlover2766]

One of the most beautiful aircraft ever built! For more reasons than I could put into writing. BRRRRRRRRTTTT forever!

[@MeganChic]

Because when you’re pinned down by insurgents there’s no sweeter sound than BRRRRRRRRR overhead

[@HappiKarafuru]

My reason Once you named an aircraft "Thunderbolts" it synonymous with firepower as quote in the old ww2 footage of it Predecessor, the P-47 Thunderbolt "Thunderbolt of firepower". Both built by Republic now Fairchild Republic, same company so you expect A-10 to be just a tough and durable, able to absorb damage as it Predecessor, P-47.

[@zman5387]

The A-10 is a great airplane. I was in U.S. Air Force rescue back in the 80's and they supported our helicopters and did a great job. It carries a lot of fire power and is an outstanding ground support aircraft. I think this is even true today. Keep it!!

[@treadheadpete4770]

"We" are obsessed with the A-10 because it goes BRRRRRRRRTTT, and tanks disappear!

[@Xandros999]

@Joshua N. Ajang It's not really very good against tanks. Not the gun anyway. Tanks are built to withstand much more powerful weapons.

[@RomanHistoryFan476AD]

@@Xandros999 don't the Thunderbolt carry missiles or bombs.

[@Xandros999]

@@RomanHistoryFan476AD Lots of planes do. There's nothing special about that.

[@treadheadpete4770]

@Joshua N. Ajang yep... depleted uranium rounds chew up composite armour, and ERA is not very effective against solid shot. I believe that there are no MBT's that can stand up to the GAU-8 cannon.

[@treadheadpete4770]

@@RomanHistoryFan476AD yes, lots of other ordinance besides the GAU-8 30mm, but the 7 barreled monster gets all the attention!

[@ericborgen6657]

Maintained the A-10 for 2 decades. Deployed with it.

[@classysquid7501]

The A-10 is the definition of the phrase 'Do you think we got them'

[@Jimbo898]

Designed perfectly for the job that was required of it. I just love how the a-10 drivers would use the Maverick seeker head to flight night missions, poor mans night vision. They have some upgraded systems, so they don't have to do that now. But what I most like about the a-10 is the people that fly them and maintain them, they are the real hero's, going into extremely hostile areas to provide critical life saving close air support.