A-10 at work....with music

[West Coast]

http://theaviationist.com/2015/05/09/go-pro-a-10c-video-25fs/

[snaggletooth]

Wonderful video :D

[Rotate too late]

Have a like! :ok:

[Wander00]

Did the controller/FAC/whatever, have an English accent or was I dreaming?

[MightyGem]

Yeah, great video. Shame about the awful music. :yuk:

[ORAC]

How an ugly, brutally effective warplane won the battle for its future (http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/11/24/how-an-ugly-brutally-effective-warplane-won-the-battle-for-its-future/)

U.S.-backed Syrian rebels launched an attack late last month on Islamic State militants near the town of Hawl in northern Syria. They regained control of roughly 100 square miles of territory, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

“It was a fairly straightforward, conventional offensive operation,” Army Colonel Steve Warren told reporters via video conference from Baghdad, “where we estimated … several hundred enemy [fighters] were located in that vicinity.” Warren continued his description. “There was a substantial friendly force — well over 1,000 participated in the offensive part of this operation. And they were able to very deliberately execute the plan that they had made themselves.”

Two types of U.S. warplanes, both optimized for precision attacks in close coordination with ground troops, were critical to the Syrian rebels’ success, Warren revealed. “We were able to bring both A-10s and a Spectre gunship to bear,” he said, “… It can only be described as devastating …. it killed nearly 80 enemy fighters and wounded many more.”

Video shot by a correspondent from the Kurdish Hawar News Agency showed A-10s wheeling over the battlefield as rebel fighters advanced........

In 2014, A-10s deployed to Kuwait to support U.S.-backed Iraqi troops battling Islamic State in northwestern Syria. Twice in 2015, A-10s toured Eastern Europe as part of the Pentagon’s European Reassurance Initiative — in essence, a U.S. military surge into Europe to bolster resident North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces. And in October, Warthogs deployed to Turkey to cover rebel forces fighting Islamic State in Syria — and proved crucial to the rebels’ victory near Hawl.

Not only do Congress and the American public stand by the unglamorous, venerable attack plane — it’s as if the world, with all its messy, grinding ground wars, conspired to demand the A-10’s continued service.

[Gentleman Aviator]

Looks like RAF rank tabs on the pilot seen getting airborne at time 1:16 on the video.

[clunckdriver]

Why oh why do we seem unable to watch anything on TV or any other medium and not be subjected to some bloody noise which we are told is music? Even our CBC news over this side of the pond seems unable to read a simple news cast without some idiot banging on a drum, thus making it imposible to hear what is being said! Why not when showing A10s at work just let the audience listen to the VHF/UHF and the other aviation sounds without this crap? There, now I feel better!

[Danny42C]

Heads up !

Click on A-10 at work....with music and follow the link - you won't be disappointed !

I'd always thought the Giant Warthog to be a heavy, ponderous sort of thing, but here's this chap chucking it around like a Spitfire. Obviously a COIN aircraft par excellence, and exactly what I would think is needed in Irak/Syria now.

How could they think of retiring it in today's circumstances ? Wish I was 70 years younger and had one of these to fly.

Only cavil: could we see less of the pilot and the tail, and more of the front panel and the view ahead, please ?

Thanks, West Coast !

Danny42C

PS: clunckdriver,

With you 100% ! Every bit as bad over here ! Why, oh why do they do it ? Has the Musician's Union got a stranglehold on the BBC etc , or something ?

Can somebody form a Society for the Protection of Listeners/Viewers ? Would do it myself, but won't be around much longer.

D.

[Danny42C]

Suddenly struck me, how do they manage without a WSO ? The thing can, it seems, carry a mix of just about every airborne ordnance known to man, short of Zeus's thunderbolt.

Same with Typhoon.

Is there something to be learned from this ? (just curious).

D.

[FantomZorbin]

The cockpit workload must be horrendous!!

[mmitch]

There are photos on the web (I'm sure somebody will find it?) of an A10
that returned to its base in Afgan shot to pieces but with its female pilot intact.
mmitch.

[Rhino power]

There are photos on the web (I'm sure somebody will find it?) of an A10
that returned to its base in Afgan shot to pieces but with its female pilot intact.
mmitch.

Ta da! ;)

Story about Battle Damaged A-10 (http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Stories1/001-100/0016_A-10-battle-damage/story0016.htm)

Not only, but also...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Campbell_(pilot)

-RP

[Buster Hyman]

Don't understand why the A-10 gets so much hate, I reckon it's the Ducks Nuts! :ok:

[mmitch]

Thanks Rhino. I was nearly right! Iraq...
mmitch.

[Danny42C]

GOOD SHOW !......(Bully for Major Campbell)

See my #55 on "Typhoon and Brimstone". The crew involved there were both female (which is quite irrelevant - not their fault - the ROE must have been "Don't let's be beastly to the Taliban".

Compare and Contrast.

Danny.

[bakseetblatherer]

I quite a fan of all the glove mods those guys have, esp the fingerless with pen attachment around 2:40!

[clunckdriver]

Danny42C, In Ottawa one can now find a listing of resteraunts and other public places which do not have the speakers blaring out such crap , Im told by one owner his bottom line has improved about 30% since he turned of the noise! In our local town they had speakers blaring VERY BAD Christmas music, some kind soul recently cut the feed to the speakers, he/she has the gratitude of nearly all the residents!

[GlobalNav]

"There are photos on the web (I'm sure somebody will find it?) of an A10
that returned to its base in Afgan shot to pieces but with its female pilot intact."

Captain Campbell's awards already speak to her awesome airmanship. Very impressive results. Good show for the A-10 too! Hard to imagine how anyone would think the F-16 or even the F-35 would be a reasonable replacement. Our forces on the ground need and deserve the CAS that the A-10 delivers.

[RimBim]

I'm interested that the A10s can carry Cubic P5 ACMI pods while firing guns and missiles from port and s'bord wing stations - pretty useful config! Is this the case for other USAF jets?

[Danny42C]

Clunckdrive (your #18)
...some kind soul recently cut the feed to the speakers...
More power to his/her elbow !

Would that someone would cut the flow of cash (from an obligatory £145.50 =
$(Can)296.99 pa per household Licence Fee), which goes to pay the bloated salaries of the BBC Directors, who have the power (but no will) to abate this nuisance.

Danny42C.

[airsound]

Danny, on 3 Dec you said
Obviously a COIN aircraft par excellence, and exactly what I would think is needed in Irak/Syria now.Well, your wish was somebody's command. According to Defense OneAir Force to Delay A-10 Retirement, Thanks to ISIS

Read all about it at http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/01/Air-Force-to-delay-a-10/125105/

Happy new year!

airsound

[Danny42C]

airsound,

Great Minds Think Alike !

Danny.

[ORAC]

https://youtu.be/HpCvySLGuOA

[unmanned_droid]

Thanks for that ORAC, good video. The monocle must help a lot with the workload.

[Pure Pursuit]

Looks like RAF rank tabs on the pilot seen getting airborne at time 1:16 on the video.

USAF Captain rank.

[Brat]

There are photos on the web (I'm sure somebody will find it?) of an A10
that returned to its base in Afgan shot to pieces but with its female pilot intact.
mmitch.

Yes that was Capt K Campbell 'Killer Chick’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF3NprYiYjw

They are built like the proverbial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WaQRtiwIOQ

[Trim Stab]

Watching that I can't understand why USAF has a pilot-retention problem. Just send me the forms (well as long as you allow non-yanks and over 50s lol)

[KenV]

The cockpit workload must be horrendous!!Probably not. It's a pretty simple airplane with no air to air sensors or weapons. It started out a day VFR aircraft with no autopilot, no nav systems, and no precision weapon capability. Over the decades it's morphed into an all weather capable aircraft with GPS aided inertial nav and full precision weapons capability using existing, proven systems and software, including helmet mounted targeting displays. For example, it got the F-16's stick and the F-15's throttle levers for the pilot to interface with the new systems. By comparison, most F-16s like the A-10 are single pilot and F-16 has both an air to air and air to ground capability with sensors and weapons system for both. The A-10 is strictly air to ground. It also flies much slower so there's more time for the pilot to process everything.

[ORAC]

On the other hand you are operating many more radios in a hostile rich environment in close proximity to the ground.

[DirtyProp]

Watching that I can't understand why USAF has a pilot-retention problem. Just send me the forms (well as long as you allow non-yanks and over 50s lol)

Same here!

[SnowFella]

Probably not. It's a pretty simple airplane with no air to air sensors or weapons.

Must have some sort of air to air kit as they usually pack 2 Sidewinders on the left wing.

[Rhino power]

Must have some sort of air to air kit as they usually pack 2 Sidewinders on the left wing.

Sidewinder seeker heads are passive, no need for any 'air to air kit' other than the necessary wiring and the switchology in the cockpit, lock-on is confirmed by a tone in the pilot's headset...

-RP

[golder]

I'm pretty sure a modern manpads will mess up their strafing runs. They're fine in the ME, but may not be survivable in a peer battlespace.

[FakePilot]

Sidewinder seeker heads are passive, no need for any 'air to air kit' other than the necessary wiring and the switchology in the cockpit, lock-on is confirmed by a tone in the pilot's headset...

-RP

I don't actually know much about the Sidewinder development but the tone was a genius idea. Much easier to integrate into the cockpit. I'm guessing the tone is an almost direct feed from the seeker head circuit.

I'm sure today's Sidewinder doesn't even have a seeker head like the original and the tone is generated but ok.

[ORAC]

Alert 5 » The 74th EFS receives Gallant Unit Citation, the first individual squadron to do so - Military Aviation News (http://alert5.com/2019/04/04/the-74th-efs-receives-gallant-unit-citation-the-first-individual-squadron-to-do-so/)

The 74th EFS receives Gallant Unit Citation, the first individual squadron to do so

During a six-month period from Jul. 15, 2017 to Jan. 15, 2018, the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) struck 44 percent of all targets during Operation INHERENT RESOLVE (OIR), with just 12 A-10s. This help the unit earned the Gallant Unit Citation, the fifth to do so and the first from an individual squadron.

The Gallant Unit Citation has only been awarded five times in Air Force history.

[orca]

Great effort - what a fabulous machine, hats off to maintainers and drivers alike.

[msbbarratt]

...The A-10 is strictly air to ground...

Perhaps officially, though I suspect that the stream of rounds coming out of the front of one would be a brown trouser moment for a whole lot of air-2-air specialists.

In fact, never mind tanks, a straffing would do a lot of damage to a ship, bunker, pretty much anything really.

[orca]

When one says it’s ‘strictly A-S’ this is of course just at a tasking level. The machine has a AIM-9 capability.

[Turbine D]

A-10, the only aircraft designed and built around a gun the I'm aware of. Contrast that to its purported replacement, "Oh geez, maybe we do need a gun, let's add one on." Now, if they can only get it to shoot where it is being aimed....

[Mechta]

A-10, the only aircraft designed and built around a gun the I'm aware of. Contrast that to its purported replacement, "Oh geez, maybe we do need a gun, let's add one on." Now, if they can only get it to shoot where it is being aimed....

P-39 Airacobra, P-63 King Cobra, SU-25 Frogfoot?

[earthrider]

Some nice BRRRT's in here, what a tank of an aircraft.

[gileraguy]

gotta love the firing of that Avenger.....