S77th-GOYA Posted February 14, 2005 Posted February 14, 2005 This is from military.com. It wasn't too long ago that the Air Force was considering putting the A-10 Warthog out to pasture. Now, not only has the "Hog" received a significant upgrade -- to the tune of $300 million -- but it is considered one of the most effective fighters on the Iraqi campaign. "A-10's may be ugly, but when you need air support, there is nothing more beautiful." DefenseTech.org is a blog that has the inside scoop on the latest developments in technology. From Predator drones to biowar defense, computer security to nuclear threats, the blog examines the intersection of technology and defense from every angle, covering the exploits of soldiers and hackers, madmen and geniuses, inventors and dictators. By Noah Shachtman and Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, DefenseTech.org It wasn't too long ago that the Air Force was making noises about cancelling the venerable, scrappy A-10 Warthog close air support plane. Last week at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, "a significantly upgraded version of the 1970s-era Warthog with new advanced precision engagement capabilities took its first flight," Inside the Air Force reports. From the outside, the new Hog looks the same as the old one. But there are slew of differences on the inside that should make the A-10 a whole lot easier to fly. The $300 million [A-10C] program gives the Warthog two new glass multifunction color cockpit displays, along with a digital stores management system that allows pilots to control weapons through computers. Also, a new grip and throttle, which incorporate a number of buttons and switches to control various functions, will allow Warthog pilots to command most of the aircraft's functions without taking their hands off the throttle and stick. The power supply onboard the aircraft also has been increased to manage the new weapons the fighter will employ -- the Jo int Direct Attack Munition and Win d-Corrected Munitions Dispenser ... Finally, the PE [precision engagement] program provides the fighter with a fully integrated targeting pod capability to deliver the smart weapons. A-10Cs can carry up to six Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispensers. The upgrades give A-10 pilots an "unbelievable" increase in situational awareness, along with a reduced workload, said Maj. Trey Rawls, a pilot with Eglin's 40th Flight Test Squadron who commanded the aircraft during its first flight last week. He spoke with ITAF Jan. 24. Air Combat Command is aiming to begin deploying in 2007 only A-10Cs to combat theaters. The entire active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve A-10 inventory of 356 aircraft is scheduled to receive the upgrades. Not bad for a plane that Air Force generals have been trying "to kill it from the moment it was born," as Slate's Fred Kaplan notes. Why the antipathy? To understand that, "one must go back to 1947, when the Air Force broke away from the Army and became an independent branch," author Robert Coram explained in a 2003 New York Times op-ed. "Strategic bombing," which calls for deep bombing raids against enemy factories and transportation systems, was the foundation of the new service branch. But that concept is fundamentally flawed for the simple reason that air power alone has never won a war. Nevertheless, strategic bombing, now known as "interdiction bombing," remains the philosophical backbone of the Air Force. Anything involving air support of ground troops is a bitter reminder that the Air Force used to be part of the Army and subordinate to Army commanders. For the white-scarf crowd, nothing is more humiliating than being told that what it does best is support ground troops. Until the A- 10 was built in the 1970's, the Air Force used old, underpowered aircraft to provide close air support. It never had a plane specifically designed to fly low to the ground to support field troops. In fact, the A-10 never would have been built had not the Air Force believed the Army was trying to steal its close air support role -- and thus millions of dollars from its budget -- by building the Cheyenne helicopter. The Air Force had to build something cheaper than the Cheyenne. And because the Air Force detested the idea of a designated close air support aircraft, generals steered clear of the project, and designers, free from meddling senior officers, created the ultimate ground-support airplane. It is cheap, slow, low-tech, does not have an afterburner, and is so ugly that the grandiose name "Thunderbolt" was forgotten in favor of "Warthog" or, simply, "the Hog." What the airplane does have is a deadly 30-millimeter cannon, two engines mounted high and widely separated to offer greater protection, a titanium "bathtub" to protect the pilot, a bullet- and fragmentation-resistant canopy, three back-up flight controls, a heavy duty frame and foam-filled fuel tanks -- a set of features that makes it one of the safest yet most dangerous weapons on the battlefield. "When the first Gulf War was being planned in 1990, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, the chief of U.S. Central Command, had to fight the Air Force to send over a mere 174 A-10s for his use," Kaplan writes. "Yet in the course of the war, those A-10s knocked out roughly half of the 1,700 Iraqi tanks that were destroyed from the air... Even the Air Force brass had to admit the planes had done a good job, and they kept them in the fleet." "A-10's may be ugly in the air, but when you're a grunt under fire and you call in air support, when that 'Hog' flies over the dunes at low level, there is nothing more beautiful," one Defense Tech reader said. "I served in the 1st Cav[alary Division] during the 1st Gulf war and had the honor of watching the Warthog in action. I was never prouder of the Air force than at that time," one Defense Tech reader said. By the second Gulf War, however, the Air Force was again considering putting the Warthog out to pasture. Air Combat Command's Maj. Gen. David Deptula told a subordinate to work up a "persuasive" argument for "terminating the A-10 fleet." It never happened. And the Warthog has gone on to be one of the most effective fighters on the Iraqi campaign. General Characteristics, A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II Contractor: Fairchild Republic Co. Unit Cost: $8.8 million Power Plant: Two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans Thrust: 9,065 pounds each engine Length: 53 feet, 4 inches (16.16 meters) Height: 14 feet, 8 inches (4.42 meters) Wingspan: 57 feet, 6 inches (17.42 meters) Maximum Take-off Weight: 51,000 pounds (22,950 kilograms) Speed: 420 mph (Mach 0.56) Ceiling: 45,000 feet (13,636 meters) Speed: 565 mph (Mach 0.86) at 25,000 feet (7583.3 meters), with maximum takeoff weight Load: Up to 16,000 pounds (7,200 kilograms) of mixed ordnance on eight under-wing and three under-fuselage pylon stations Range: 800 miles (695 nautical miles) Armament: One 30 mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun Up to 16,000 pounds (7,200 kilograms) of mixed ordnance on eight under-wing and three under-fuselage pylon stations, including 500 pounds (225 kilograms) of retarded bombs, 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms) of general-purpose bombs, incendiary and Rockeye II cluster bombs, combined effects munitions, Maverick missiles and laser-guided/electro-optically guided bombs Infrared countermeasure flares Electronic countermeasure chaff Jammer pods 2.75-inch (6.99 centimeters) rockets Illumination flares AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles Crew: One Planned Inventory: Active force, A-10, 72 and OA-10, 72 Reserve, A-10, 24 and OA-10, 12 ANG, A-10, 64 and OA-10, 30 Date Deployed: March 1976
Gel214th Posted February 14, 2005 Posted February 14, 2005 Woot! I want to see these new avionics in the next update ! :) THis should put the plane head and shoulders above the SU25T... so,new A10 with new flight dynamics, two MFDs, and precision targeting pod thingy for Lock On 1.2? hmm? anyone? anyone? :)
GGTharos Posted February 15, 2005 Posted February 15, 2005 ...and gets blown away by an F-35? ;D [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Reminder: SAM = Speed Bump :D I used to play flight sims like you, but then I took a slammer to the knee - Yoda
Sharpshooter Posted February 15, 2005 Posted February 15, 2005 Great News ! This plane deserves an upgrade. I think we are going a bit out of the timeline here, these upgrades are for 2007. Plus it has MFDs something LockOn is not very friendly with. Already the Su-25T(Su-39) is a bit advanced (In the way that it is not a pre-1990 Aircraft)to the imaginary timeline ED is trying to create.
AnzacPT Posted February 16, 2005 Posted February 16, 2005 nice to hear about that... the A-10 was always one of my favourite planes... and one of the main reasons that i bought Lock On in the first place.
Prophet_169th Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 the su-33 alredy shood Alredy shood what? I dont get it.
Force_Feedback Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 The Su-39 does not exist, the Su-25TM does. And the Su-34 would blow it and the Su-25TM and the Hog-C away, too bad it's a two-seater with A2G radar and MFDs (3 reasons for ED to not include it) I would like to see the A-10A with AFM, that would discourage some of them saying the A-10 is such a joy to fly. Creedence Clearwater Revival:worthy:
504 Wolverine Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 The Su-39 does not exist, the Su-25TM does. The Su-39 is the Su-25TM. The name Su-39 was used by Sukhoi to generate some foreign export sales. With the name Su-25TM people would think automaticaly of the vanilla and not want to touch it. The name change is a marketing ploy. [/url]
D-Scythe Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 The Su-39 does not exist, the Su-25TM does. And the Su-34 would blow it and the Su-25TM and the Hog-C away, too bad it's a two-seater with A2G radar and MFDs (3 reasons for ED to not include it) I would like to see the A-10A with AFM, that would discourage some of them saying the A-10 is such a joy to fly. Who blows away what is not even the point of the thread. But if you guys really would want to know what happens, an F-15E will blast every jet above away before dropping a few GBU-12s on some T-80s ;) And to stop this silliness, whatever can shoot down an F-15E, my next card, an F-22A, will trump. It's the Ace of Spades of jets :cool:
Force_Feedback Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 The Su-39 is the Su-25TM. The name Su-39 was used by Sukhoi to generate some foreign export sales. With the name Su-25TM people would think automaticaly of the vanilla and not want to touch it. The name change is a marketing ploy. Exist, exist, real plane, thing that flies in the real world, thing that has been flown under the name of su-39. Still, the Su-39 does not exist. The Su-28 even exists, even though it wasn't a success, the su-39 does not, only on name signs, but no planes ever flew with that designation. Creedence Clearwater Revival:worthy:
Witchking Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 ooooyeahh....I love the A-10. Go warthog. :D WHISPR | Intel I7 5930K | Nvidia GTX980 4GB GDDR5 | 16GB DDR4 | Intel 730 series 512GB SSD | Thrustmaster WARTHOG | CH Pro Pedals | TrackIR4 pro | |A-10C|BS2 |CA|P-51 MUSTANG|UH-1H HUEY|MI-8 MTV2 |FC3|F5E|M2000C|AJS-37|FW190|BF 109K|Mig21|A-10:SSC,EWC|L-39|NEVADA|
britgliderpilot Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Who blows away what is not even the point of the thread. But if you guys really would want to know what happens, an F-15E will blast every jet above away before dropping a few GBU-12s on some T-80s ;) And to stop this silliness, whatever can shoot down an F-15E, my next card, an F-22A, will trump. It's the Ace of Spades of jets :cool: I haev teh j0cker!!11one!! teh Su47goldenterminator with plasma stelth!!1! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/britgliderpilot/BS2Britgliderpilot-1.jpg
ED Team Glowing_Amraam Posted January 13, 2006 ED Team Posted January 13, 2006 lol brit! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgJRhtnqA-67pKmQ3A2GsgA ED youtube channel https://www.facebook.com/glowingamraam My facebook page
192nd_Erdem Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 ...and gets blown away by an F-35? ;D Yeah then Su-35's get in,beat the crap out of them and finish the job ;D ...F-22?What's that?
D-Scythe Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 I haev teh j0cker!!11one!! teh Su47goldenterminator with plasma stelth!!1! Hilarious :beer:
Force_Feedback Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Hilarious :beer: Tell that to Venik.... :p Creedence Clearwater Revival:worthy:
GGTharos Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Yeah then Su-35's get in,beat the crap out of them and finish the job ;D ...F-22?What's that? ... that thing that made the poor poor lil' Su-35's go boom without so much as a peep ... so unfair ... ;) [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Reminder: SAM = Speed Bump :D I used to play flight sims like you, but then I took a slammer to the knee - Yoda
Maximus Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 whatever can shoot down an F-15E, my next card, an F-22A, will trump. It's the Ace of Spades of jets :cool: F-22A raptor will take 6 F-15 out without any problem, and F-15 will never find F-22A raptor on BVR Radar unless F-15 fly right across the F-22's radar nose. anyway it will be nice if those Raptor have gotten the painting of aces of Spades on it's body. it is very nasty and deadly aircraft ever built so I :icon_pray F-22A raptor. also, I have personally seen F117A (8 of em) there are art painting on F-117A, only visible when it is parked, (it is located at front Gear Bay Doors) all of em have unique art paintings on it. and I believe Raptor will have those art images hidden somewhere. Maximus, The only real Maximus in DCS World. :music_whistling: I am not associated to viper 33 | Maximus. he is the imposter.
23rd_Drago Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 F-22A raptor will take 6 F-15 out without any problem, and F-15 will never find F-22A raptor on BVR Radar unless F-15 fly right across the F-22's radar nose. Boo-hoo, nuclear mushrooms will take out all your F-22 Raptors, its manufacturing plants, whole world 3x and half the moon without any problems. I’ve topped all of you… so I’m the badass kid in this kindergarten. :rolleyes: 1
Force_Feedback Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Boo-hoo, nuclear mushrooms will take out all your F-22 Raptors, its manufacturing plants, whole world 3x and half the moon without any problems. I’ve topped all of you… so I’m the badass kid in this kindergarten. :rolleyes: ^^ First intelligent statement in the whole thread, maybe last few months (besides the "full screen option" thread that is). Creedence Clearwater Revival:worthy:
Recommended Posts