The A-10 is back in Iraq doing what it does better than many other assets: attacking hostile targets that threaten friendly forces or assets on the ground.
During the week of Nov. 17-21, the U.S. Air Force moved a squadron-sized element of A-10C Thunderbolt aircraft from Bagram, Afghanistan, to Ahmed al Jaber airbase, in Kuwait, to join the fight against ISIS.
The aircraft belong to the 163rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron “Blacksnakes”, part of the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard, based at Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Little was known about their activities in support of Operation Inherent Resolve until a video showing a “Warthog” (as the A-10 is nicknamed among the fighter pilots community) attacking ground targets in Al Anbar region, in western Iraq, using its GAU-8 Avenger a 30 mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-type cannon
The Air Force planned to get rid of the A-10 but the Congress blocked the retirement in 2015 keeping part of the Warthog fleet (100 aircraft) intact.
Image credit: U.S. Air Force
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Nice to see the Warthog dispensing 30 mm justice as only it can. Hopefully that little firing run turned some of those ISIS murdering bastards into finely chopped hamburger.
So you are saying that US Congress (BTW a very reputable institution spetializing in politics) has more profound understanding of what strategies air force should employ and which aircrafts they should fly, right?)
Yes!
The US Congress is blocking the retirement of the A-10
because the defence industry/military wants to spent more money than
absolute necessary in this case.
For example, the (too) fast flying F35 or F16 is pure overkill in an asymmetrical terrorist warfare with no air force.
What kind of air plane is more suitable according to you, for the
asymmetrical ground war in Syria and Iraq against the barbaric ISIS
terrorists ?
I think; no existing US air plane can do the job better than the (very long combat proven) A-10, because the A-10 is very well armed, can fly very low, slow and can take an intense beating from ground fire.
Further, to my knowledge no other US fighter jet has the (pilot and plane)protection of an A-10.
Quote:
“The A-10’s airframe was designed for durability, with measures such as
1,200 pounds (540 kg) of titanium armour to protect the cockpit and
aircraft systems, enabling it to absorb a significant amount of damage
and continue flying”.
and:
“The armour has been tested to withstand strikes from 23 mm cannon fire and some strikes from 57 mm rounds.
It is made up of titanium plates with thicknesses from 0.5 to 1.5 inches (13 to 38 mm) determined by a study of likely trajectories and deflection angles”.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II
Manpads and the A-10.
Hogs In a “Hot” Peace: The A-10 Since Desert Storm, Part Two.
Quote:
“On May 2, the A-10 community nearly avoided a loss when a Hog flying
near G-town was hit by a shoulder-launched missile at medium altitude,
suffering engine damage and external damage to the aircraft. The Hog’s
engine cowling was ripped off and shown on Serb television as evidence
of a downed aircraft. Given the type of damage suffered in the missile
attack, it seems likely that the cowling shown on television was from
the same A-10 that was hit. The pilot safely returned the aircraft to a
friendly airbase in Skopje, Macedonia”.
Source:
http://www.simhq.com/_air/air_050a.html
Yeah… The A-10 is one of the many things which have been developed by N@zi for the USA after the WW2.