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March 27, 2010
A-10 Warthogs in Action Over Kandahar
On the Kandahar airstrip, pilots Murphy and Eddins are ready to roll in an A-10 Warthog, one of the more agile planes at the Air Force's disposal.
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A-10 Warthogs in Action Over Kandahar
By Michael Yon
As two pilots geared up to fly from Kandahar to neighboring Helmand to support a British unit, Michael Yon takes an up-close look at the fantastically agile and advanced A-10 Warthog.
Two pilots were gearing up to fly from Kandahar to neighboring Helmand to support a British unit in "Warthogs" -- the A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter that's popular with the Air Force. Warthogs are slow—not supersonic—but fantastically agile. They dart like dragonflies and seem to change direction against the laws of physics.
The A-10s can turn so fast that they break the laws of healthy physiology, and can cause a pilot to pass out and crash his airplane. And so pilots wear G-suits to help counter adverse fluid dynamics. Michael Yon, former Green Beret and current war correspondent, was there to catch the action first-hand.
A-10s have more tricks than Harry Potter, writes Yon, such as the flares designed to lure heat-seeking missiles away from the engines. Over these battlefields, pilots often pop the flares as "we see you" warnings to the enemy. If the enemy is in the open and no civilians are around, they're unlikely to get a friendly flare warning, but sometimes it's better to hold off on the big weapons; the enemy might be fighting from a built-up area.
Yon watched Lt. Col Murphy gear up for flight in an A-10, its 30mm cannon loaded with 1,150 rounds. The 30mm can destroy tanks, but believe it or not, it typically won't penetrate the walls around Afghan homes. When the 30mm fires, it's almost unbelievable. The bullets don't fly in a laser-like stream, but sort of spray in a lethal mist, as if the cannon is shot-painting a swath with huge bullets. If the enemy is in the open, the cannon is like a weapon of mass destruction. When people are hit with M-16 bullets, the wound is often more like a couple of small holes, but when bodies get hit with weapons this large, they fly in pieces.
A-10 cannons are tilted down so that the pilot can fly level while strafing. This is important, Yon explains: In Mosul, in 2004, an F-14 was strafing downtown after a massive truck bombing. The pilot told me he was fixated on the target. Since the F-14 cannon is tilted up for "Top Gun" air combat, the pilot had to nose down the F-14 and was diving straight into the target -- and nearly crashed. The hard turn to avoid crashing damaged his aircraft and the pilot had difficulty landing on the aircraft carrier later that night. This doesn't happen in an A-10.
To find out more, and to view a series of wonderful photos direct from Kandahar, read the full story by Michael Yon.
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Wild Thing's comment........
What a great aircraft!!!!!! Imagine the thought of those it’s directed . ERRRRRRRRRRRRRR
And this from Darth....
"GO Ugly Early Warthogs!" - Darth
....Thank you Darth for sending this to me.
Darth
U.S. Airforce
C-5 loadmaster
84-97
Posted by Wild Thing at March 27, 2010 06:49 AM
Comments
The Air Force was all set to retire the A-10 until Desert Storm when the A-10 proved its worth to ground troops. The A-10 being slow and ugly doesn't fit the fighter jock image Air Force pilots want to have. Support for ground troops wasn't the concern of the USAF brass as image was more important. But, after Desert Storm, they had no choice but to keep it in the inventory as it became the flying hero of ground troops and the American Public.
Posted by: BobF at March 27, 2010 09:49 AM
What a neat and effective aircraft. It reminds me of the A-1 Skyrider used in Vietnam. Both aircraft are slow, but agile. Each aircraft is known for it's large bombload and lingering time. And both aircraft are great strafers. These are the type aircraft the troops on the ground love. Aircraft that "get down in the grass" with the troops.
Posted by: TomR at March 27, 2010 10:36 AM
A face only a mother could love but the Grunt's
best friend and the Talibans worst nightmare!!!
Posted by: Gator at March 27, 2010 11:41 AM
Awesome aircraft, we could have used it in another era. I agree with Tom's comparison to the A-1, my God those Marines hung in too close to their own ordinance at times. Let's not forget the lack thereof in Mogadishu. Get some:):)
Posted by: Jack at March 27, 2010 11:54 AM
That thing came about 10 years too late. What an awesome SOB, build like a flying tank. Two of them working the Hills would have been awesome. and cleared out the trash moschosh.
Posted by: Mark at March 27, 2010 02:45 PM
Fantastic input, thank you everyone so much for sharing about this plane.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 27, 2010 06:38 PM
