As an Army Veteran of 38 years and 4 wars, I can honestly say that the Air Force lost its freaking mind when they wanted to kill the A-10 program. This aircraft is the perfect CAS aircraft produced. Low and slow is what the combat infantryman needs, not a zoomie who is afraid to scratch the paint on their half billion dollar aircraft. When you need to get our of a jam, when Artry and Mortar can't help, you can call on the hog and he will rut some stuff up with that chain gun really quick. This aircraft is a keeper.
i would hope they only send in the boys when there is air superiority. An f-35 can take out a s-300 or s-400, so the warthog should be more safe from those threats minus manpads ofcourse, it would still make the slow and low close air support a viable option. Maybe turning them into drones, like the north koreans plan to do with all their ancient migs.
CAS is a life saver. They taught us that the hog was intended for NATO Warsaw pact operations. Then the CCCP fell and the zoomies wanted to rid the country club of their grungy, MRE eating slobs in exchange for sexy strike eagles. As a pilot, nothing teaches you better than the hog. It’s a pilots airframe. And it commands respect. I am glad to see the hog live on even though I prefer the six pack.
Respecting your experience, times have changed. The war in Ukraine has exposed a lot of threats to slow-flying aircraft. The A-10 is useful when you can gain air superiority. Unfortunately, today's saturation of the battlefield with manpads and short-range air defenses does not allow to guarantee the safety of the A-10. New strategies and tactics can help. Keeping behind the front lines, using as weapons carriers and occasionally participating in combat. This is quite good news for the A-10. The USAF is beginning to understand that overwhelming superiority in quality (expensive) equipment may not be enough. There must be a lot of cheaper ones. Especially in wars of attrition, like in Ukraine.
I served in the Marine Corps during the 1st Gulf War era. Our artillery battalion had the privilege to train in a joint exercise with the A-10 Warthogs. I remember being struck by the awesome presence of that aircraft as it flew low towards our position. I could imagine how that aircraft would put the fear of God into the hearts of our enemies. I am so glad that someone in the higher ranks had the good sense to keep the Warthog in active service.
Hands down, an awesome video. Worked on the A-10 back in the late 80's and 90's when I was a crew chief in the USAF. I worked on several different fighters during my career and the Warthog was definitely the best to maintain. Never had any issues and kept coming back for more. It would be a dang shame if the military put this baby to rest. For the record, IMO, I am not impressed with the F-35 and truly believe the government is throwing good money away on this bird. Plus, it has a lot of Maintenace issues so ...... Sorry if I pissed anyone off but being a maintainer for 23 + years, I took pride on the planes I worked on.
It sounds to me like the F-35 is a downgrade. It may be newer but it seems to have less ability to fight. They should have spent the money on just upgrading what already worked so well. New avionics, maybe better and more accurate weapons. I've seen pictures of A-10s that were shot full of holes and they flew them all the way from the combat zone back to the base and landed just fine. Most modern planes would have crashed. Maybe even exploding killing crew with it.
@@noneyabus1 Yeah, but an enemy that has a lot of high speed drones would be death for the A10. Not every weapons platform will work in a given theater.
@@noneyabus1 jsf program was flawed from the start. Attaching the vtol requirement to the contract was a mistake. We made fun of the russians for trying a similar idea to the lift fan and even the russian designers knew it was a terrible use of space and would only neuter the design. I think they realized this when they started slapping all sorts of new tech onto the plane while getting outside sources of income through sales to fund the development. They already have replacements for it that have been announced and are probly flying
@outfield1988 The older ones could carry 16,000 pound load, plus its cannon, the B-29 was five crew and 20,000 pounds plus its guns. The Enola Gay and Bockscar were modified to carry more.
@@Colorado_Native Well, they just modified them by removing the guns, right? Nobody chased after Enola Gay, but they sent a squad of zeros after Bockscar. That's why they ended up bombing Nagasaki instead of Kokura.
@ericzimmerman9599 my third time posting something that doesn't seem that controversial. Go to national ww 2 museum and then tod gro ( backwards). There's more to what they did there.
David Levite, (AKA David Cameron the UK Prime Minister), hated the Harriers so much he wanted them scrapped but eventually they were sold for a pittance to the USA, who love them. When the UK got the new Aircraft Carrier there were no fixed wing aircraft to fly onto the Carriers but if the UK Harriers had been kept then they could have been used on the Aircraft Carriers.
The British Government was so wrong to sell the Harrier to the US, claiming we no longer needed it. Come on! The fast jet-on-jet scenario is pretty much movie fodder; CAS is just one of the great roles this jet provides along with the hog. A2A combat capabilities of the Harrier were proven during the Falklands campaign (thanks for the fuel USAF! ;-) ). Of course, this was the 80's so it was more pilot skill and a competent airframe that won the duel rather than fire and forget we see today. No disrespect meant to any aviators at all. Your glasses are lovely.
@@ssaepa1 That is sad, but the way this country is heading may come true. I keep waiting for them to invite China to take us over. But it will happen over my dead body
I am an Air Force vet aircraft engineer. I have ALWAYS respected the A-10 for the way she was built. Parts are interchangable side to side. so in battle a right wing can be fitted on the left by simply changing a few parts over the same with the horizontal stabiliser and tail fins. I also fly myself and after sitting in the cockpit you sit much higher therefore getting a superb view of the ground. In say an F18 you sit deeper inside the cockpit. In the UK the GAU-8/A is known as the 'Vulcan gun' easy to see why!" I have been lucky enough to watch the A-10's range firing and those shells going through a tank is quite something! This is the only aircraft that really TERRIFIES enemy tanks..... if they sea one of these.................they are gonna buy the farm! So pleased they have re-lifed the old Hogs!👍
@@scopex2749 The Hellfire terrifies tanks. The gun was barely useful against tanks that were already obsolete when it came out. The test reports are public. How many tanks did you see them go through exactly and how many rounds did it take under perfect conditions to achieve that?
@@HENRISTARKS Yeah Maverick, so why the A-10? Good use of caps though lol. Since you’re such a historical scholar why don’t you fill us all in on what aircraft is responsible for the most friendly fire deaths? Desert storm was over 30 years ago too btw.
@@davidgill3356, Let me guess... You are a true millennial, born long after the Could War ended and raised in the current time of technology..... The A-10 was specifically designed and built to compensate and overwin the large amount of Sovjet tanks and armoured vehicles in the European "Battlefield". Although West European had the Leopard I main battle tank, the US did not yet have the M1-Abrams. Due to the inferior quality but the extending quantity of Sovjet tanks this airplane was the equivalent of 10 to 20 Sovjet tanks.... The European scenario was based on a defending role instead of offensive..... European/ NATO Airforce were superior in intercepting and shot range bombing to defeat the invaders.... This airplane, the legendary A-10 was the real game changer in convincing the Sovjets to think twice before trying to overrule Western Europe....💪💪💪
Several A-10s made a stop over at my base in Germany. This happened in 1977 and here 47 years later they are a vital part of the US Air Force mission. Amazing
I worded on B52s in the seventies. Same story. If it works, improve it and make it work even better. Of course 52s no long have rear guns like the A-10.
I agree. The A-10 has proven itself to be around longer than a decade. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. Ground troops have said time and time again how the A-10 has come to their rescue whether to annihilate their enemy or buy enough time for the units to get out of a dire situation. The Air Force made the right decision to postpone the cancellation of the program by augmenting some of the shortcomings of the aircraft to increase its survivability in the theater of war. As long as the enemy will continue to use ground weapons and troops, I still see a crucial need for the Warthog's service.
If the ground weapons include any form of modern AA, the A-10 is toast. It's only modern use is a suppressing fire counter-insurgency role. It will be useless against a near-peer.
@christian-hl6uz It works great when you have total air superiority. Not so well against fighters or missiles. Or Manpads carried by troops on the ground. It is not designed to shoot down drones individually or in swarms.
In the early 90’s I worked at Ft. Irwin Army base as a civilian employee. I ran the base water system. The wells were remote. I had to check on them daily. I could always tell when the A10’s were in the air. When they come at you the sound they make is very distinctive. And going away, the same. NOTHING else has that sound, AND they can fly very close to the ground. So much so, that when they came up the mountains and foothills they appeared as if they had magnets forcing them up and holding them off of the ground. I’m glad the Air Force is up grading and keeping them. The A10 is an AWESOME aircraft.
@@protorhinocerator142 even in situations like these, other aircraft have outperformed the A-10. During the gulf war for example, the F-111 was far more effective and even scored more tank kills.
@@TJshine1 drones don’t have the capability with the A-10 can do. The electronics and the A-10 are far more superior. People nowadays have a Neanderthal and a schoolhouse rock mentality when it comes to the A-10 and have no understanding what the jet was made for or what role it plays 🤦♂️
She’s still a Valkyrie, a guardian Angel that you know is always watching over you and saves your life when you see this avenging Angel swoop in and you hear the distinctive sound of its gun going “BBRRRRRRRRRT”
Wanna know the true value of an A-10..? Ask ANY combat veteran that had to call on them for close air support and/or to get them out of being pinned down in a firefight. I'd like to see 5 senators or 5 congressmen take a ruck with a combat unit in enemy territory... AND THEN ask them if we need to keep the A-10.
I don't disagree, but would the A-10 add as much value in Ukraine as it did in Iraq? My gut feeling is no. OTOH, I think the FPV drones that are so effective in Ukraine would have been a complete failure in Iraq.
I saw an article with an interview from a general that said modern aircraft do a better job dropping bombs from 30,000 feet, but the soldiers on the ground don't get to see it happen so they don't like it as much. Truth is the A-10 has very low odds of survival on a modern battlefield against a near-peer adversary with real AA, and plenty of other options (drones, Apaches, modern fighters with stealth capabilities) can do anything the A-10 can do.
I am in the USAF and I was staffing an air show and I was at the A-10 booth just to check it out and the guy at the booth whispered in my ear, "Hey we are building it new and better".
There is a simple reason the A-10 is still around: it just kicks butt! The higher-higher doinkers NEVER envisioned how good this platform would be in Afghanistan and Iraq. Every grunt trying to get smaller and deeper in the dirt under fire absolutely LOVED hearing the Warthog arrive, and then that 30 mike-mike BBBRRRRRRRRRRRPP! Yeah! INF would literally yell and cheer at that. The point is, just like the military "brain trust" didn't know how valuable the A-10 would be in the sand box, they have no idea how important it might be in the next war. Who would have foreseen FPV drones, sea baby drones, and thermite drones in Ukraine? Nobody.
They come up with those so-called “multirole” aircraft because it’s easy to stretch out the development and costs and therefore both the manufacturers and the politicians (whether said politicians wear a uniform or not, modern generals and other high-ranking officers are nothing more than politicians at the end of the day) get plenty of pork and cash all around. They don’t care about effectiveness, they care about profits and greed.
@@babyseals4872 Get your mom to explain essential to you, this is the exact opposite of essential. Apparently the most marvelous thing about it is how fanboys think that using one in a video game makes them experts.
@ wow…that was quite a reply. I gotta say I’m surprised how passionate the people are that don’t like this platform. I honestly thought us “fanboys” were the enthusiastic side. Live and learn I guess.
My 1st permanent duty station was Myrtle Beach AFB. That’s where I met and fell in love with the A-10. I was in the ECM and enjoyed running up the APU to test the equipment. Although the base isn’t there any longer and I have out for 38 years, the aircraft continues to be my favorite.
Had a pilot of A-10 from the Fort Polk area that would aim his aircraft straight up and punch it for a short climb. Never forget how powerful this made it feel. He would do this while I working in my garden. I remember thinking if he stalled out, that wouldn’t be good for either one of us.
I'm a Desert Storm Veteran and crewed the A-10s for 6 years it is a awesome airframe for close air support for guys on the ground I seen the damage the A-10s can take and bring the pilot back I personally think that the higher ups don't want this aircraft to survive because of nothing can do the job this aircraft has proven it can do the up grades that they are planning is long over due but I personally don't think they want a bad ass aircraft out there to kick ass.
My favorite joke I've heard about the A-10 was a Army crewman debating the merits of the A-10 with a Navy pilot that flew a F-18. After going back and forth of what each aircraft could and couldn't do, the Navy pilot finally asked a serious question: "So what do y'all carry on those two hardpoints on the wings?" Without missing a beat, a sergeant listening to the argument piped up and said, "A pair of F-18s."
The AC-130 is for when you really really want them gone. If you ever see the movie The Green Berets with John Wayne, you'll see the predecessor to the AC-130. When they called for "Puff the Magic Dragon" they beat a hasty retreat from ground zero. That thing cuts down trees. No survival within the target zone. The new upgraded AC-130's now have heavy anti-tank rounds as well.
I agree, a 27 year Veteran with 3 combat theaters, THE most satisfying experience is calling CAS and hearing the A10 coming to the rescue with formidable combat capabilities has saved me and uncountable troops on the ground. A sad day indeed for all if this amazing weapons system is no longer available.
I was in Desert Storm, and the A-10 saved my ass so I could return to my family. With the capabilities of the Warthog, it will be around a long time. The only way I see it going away is if some palms get greased in the Airforce to buy something less effective.
I served with Task Force 43rd at KKMC during desert shield and throughout Desert Storm. We improved the airfield and aprons and turned bumpy desert dirt roads there into smooth asphalt. I was surveying the layout for construction of a ramp which F-16s would use when moving from hanger to runway about mid length down the runway basically a center court seat.. . Wheni witnessed multiple fire trucks moving in response to a threat yet to be revealed, when suddenly I see an A-10 coming in for a landing...it was obvious that it had been in one hell of a fight and just as obvious that the aircrafts chin and the pilot's nerve were both "made of steel"...... It would have been a smooth picture perfect landing like hundreds of others..except there was only one leg down on the landing gear.... I could the pilot.. only able to watch in horror as the A-10 touched the runway the almost immediately rolled to it's left of the runway into a huge cloud of dust as if consumed by the desert . I Then I watched in a state of quiet shock as a multitude of firetrucks rushed after the fallen hero who just collapsed after winning the Boston Marathon... It reminds me to this day to remain resilient through the worst adversity...and although strong... although mighty we all are vulnerable and every "metal" has it's tensile strength! That type of weapon and the training which produces pilots of that caliber is like a vital organ which must exist in the body of our military. God Bless all our pilots
As long as we have ground troops, tanks, and other millitary vehicles on the ground that might need to get out of a bad situation quickly, the A-10 is the only aircraft that can open up that exit path! I know from experience that the stress level drops dramatically when these guys are above you communicating!! The enemy does not want to stay around once they hear the "HOG"!!
As a Infantry, I like the A-10, it reminds me of the Cobra and other gunships we had in Vietnam. Quick ground support and destructive. We used them a lot, and they did the job. The A-10 is the realistic replacement for close air support. I still like the helicopter, just my preference, nothing takes away the A-10.
Belt AND suspenders. If one capable platform is good, then two is better. Three is better still. How you mix and move 'em keeps the enemy guessing......... which gawd-awful murder machine is going to ravage me today? Or will they send them all? I like the idea of folding in maybe three helos in the package...... one medivac, since there is more of a risk of a shoot down in a CAS mission and you know pretty much the rather limited area in which it would occur. Two attack helicopterss. I think of it like this. The main strike package is "brushing your teeth"..... the helicopters are the toothpick. Getting at the stubborn left over bits.
Here in Indiana, seeing these guys on a regular basis for as long as I can remember. Im 62 yrs old. They flew into and out of Kokomo. My first memory was seeing them fly overhead in groups of 3 near Anderson, and thought “that’s a special plane” little did I know how special it is.
WOW! The reason I like this aircraft is that it is a ground support aircraft with an aray of lethal weapons! As a combat engineer in Vietnam, there were situations when I believe that its type of support would have saved lives!😢
And over again Everytime they doubted the A-10 it proved it's worth ever since they got them they've been trying to get rid of em it don't make sense sometimes they need to think about the guys on the ground instead of money
My favorite plane in the USAF. It is tough, it is reliable, it packs a serious punch to the face of our enemies, and the army and marines on the ground who have called on it for support, absolutely love it! Need I say more?
The A-10 will be the close air support and stay that way akin to the B-52 is the "Gold Standard" to bombers world wide. OH & both platforms may be old, but they can still do their jobs & they are fully paid for. Look at all the fighters & bombers the USAF used new off the board that have been fully removed from the U.S. Arsenal........
The best part of this channel is it doesn’t have a bunch of hits leaving simple one sentence comments to engage the algorithm, I also liked the completely not photoshopped thumbnail and nonsensical video title. Bravo.
As a USAF crew chief on F-16's, I still love the A-10's for their CAS role. Where my airframe is still the undefeated king in dog fights, the A-10 is still undefeated in CAS. The F-35 is great at stealth, but getting in unseen is only useful in combat if you can do something, or enough of something to be affective, when you get there. I get how defensive systems have progressed, but that sounds like an engineering problem for upgrading the defenses of our great aircraft, not "Lets spend way too much on new stuff that doesn't get the job done!"
The F-35 is in no way a replacement for the A-10. 181 rounds? 2 missiles? The only replacement for an A-10 is more A_10's! I'm sure that the army would take 'em if the Air Force doesn't want them.
the A10 is one of those very rare types of planes that can defeat an enemy just by turning up. It doesn't even need to fire a shot as it looks intimidating. I am thrilled to hear that it is getting the respect that it has earned and deserves. Now I just have to find out where I can go to see them in the USA. Anyone know where I can park and watch these beauties ?
I love the A-10C, but that is comically incorrect. Not in a million years. Those long, straight wings give it excellent slow speed maneuverability and a low stall speed, but those are about the only possible advantages in a dogfight. In all other ways it would be totally outclassed by the Viper or Eagle.
The A-10 Warthog will help our nation if we have to fight battles in Asia 🌏 and the Pacific. They are perfect for combat runs in dense jungle atmospheres. The toughness and durability helps in fighting in jungle mountain regions. Combat air support is needed for infantry fighting success in those kind of conditions. Not every mission can be done by a helicopter 🚁. As a kid during Vietnam, I would discuss in conversation with decorated jungle war Veterans about the necessity of tough slower low flying planes as being critical to mission success. These new A-10's should help out if anything were to happen in Asia 🌏. I just love these legendary planes, they've kicked a$$ and saved lives in the arena. Great video 📸. Thanks.
A-10 one of my favorite planes, i used to see them a lot when i was living in Germany my father was working at Ramstein Airbase and he used to bring me on all other US bases at their "open doors" event and i was always to go in the A-10 with his so particular nice look. 💓
The newer F-35 aircraft have never been battlefield tested, but if you judge a planes usefullness by the people who fly them, and those on the ground who have depended on them, it's not hard to come to the conclussion we better keep the Warthog around just in case.
A10 when I was in the army was called tank killer , I lived by beal after it would fly over it looked like 25mph slow , by time I heard it it would of been to late, in the the field you don't alway como, so I could see a huge bonus, by time you knew it you would be dead, what a bad ass plane the best for alot of uses
@@davidgill3356 I'm saying that when I was in the Vietnam War, a fierce battlefield, the value of these planes was very important. That was the experience that if we had the A-10 Warthog, our teammates would not have suffered heavy losses. They realized their mistakes in the Vietnam War, so the A-10 Warthog was born later.
Years ago I worked near the Manchester NH airport. On several occasions I got to see two A10s in mock dogfights literally just overhead. What an awesome site.
F-35 and f-22 are more advance but the problem with the 2 aircraft there is always a fear of being captured and copied by the enemy. So even if they have more capabilities, they cannot be use in too risky situation. The old A-10nand other older aircrafts are more useful in the battle.
I remember seeing one land with what looked like 75% of the skin gone. It was an IFE but landed with no issue. Hear it’s in the Air Museum now. Awesome Bird
A10, nothing comes close, it’s the best close combat plane in the sky today, F 35’s are already antiquated, let’s look at another great machine, the F22 Raptor now your talking, 35’s were someone’s pipe dream.
Perfect. The USAF wants to use unmanned aircraft for close air support to protect their vaunted pilots, regardless of how many troops on the ground fall victim to 'friendly fire'. The USAF has always had the slogan of 'Not a Pound for Air to Ground'.
I grew up in Maryland. I remember as a child in the 70s that when we would go to the drive-in or to the state park you have to drive at the Maryland Air national guard. Just about my entire life up until the first Gulf war there planes were kept closer to the road where you could see them. Sometimes on the weekend you would actually get to see them take off and land. This is long before the internet so we did not even know what the plane was called. All of that changed during the first Gulf war. We did notice there were a lot less of them there prior to the war. It wasn't because the planes were shot down it was for the fact that it went out to more Air Force bases. It's been at least 30 years since I have gone past there so I'm not even sure if they have them there any longer and if they do are they kept someplace else. I know for one reason that they were there because of Aberdeen proving grounds. That's where they test a lot of different things and they have a lot of secret programs that go on right there. They're close to the manufacturers of some of the equipment. Also where the Air national guard base is once they are in the air they are over the Chesapeake Bay within minutes. Then they can head south to Pax River naval station. There too they do a lot of testing and modifying. When Great Britain ordered their 35 for their new carrier. They were out of the Chesapeake Bay and out to see on the Atlantic side. And the Americans were teaching the British how to use aircraft and how to make carrier landings. The sad thing is that people in this state don't even recognize how important we are for the military. Let's not forget intelligence also. We have the NSA right next to Fort Meade. God only knows what they are doing in that part of the state.
The hog was intended for low altitude slow CAS. It has excelled. It’s a flying tractor. But the new avionics and weapon selection now allow it to cheaply meet the advance role at mid altitude. This is insane!!!! Now we can monitor multiple threats, a new generation of smart weapons, over 10K pounds worth, and cover a portion of the drone threats. Then mop up with Low alt CAS. We can stack multiple hogs with long loiter times configured slightly differently but networked together. Hell yes. And they are cheap! Truth be said…. Right now Russia can’t find enough warm bodies for Ukraine. Russia is experiencing a severe cash flow problem. The people are very worried and unhappy. Moscow lost a huge amount of electrical power with a single drone attack. People were fleeing like scared puppy dogs. This is similar when CCCP fell. Food will become a greater concern. The sandbox is and won’t go away. Israel owns air superiority. So it’s a wet dream by many in the Air Force to retire the hog. It ain’t going anywhere! Its role is defined and now expanded. We could use an extra 150 to 200 of these aircraft in C versions or better.
On the last few nights before the ground offensive kicked off for Desert Storm we watched the A-10s rain hell on the Iraqi front lines. Well, we watched tracers, missile fire and explosions. Lots of explosions. Big respect for the guys that were flying them. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a couple of them.
Thing is a flying tank. One of my all time favorite aircraft. All the stories of the wings being blown off and pilots making it home just blow my mind.
There are many aircraft in history that have won wars, the P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, F-86 Sabre, F-4 Phantom. But, the brilliant aviation minds of Fairchild Republic were on to something historic in developing the A-10, which so many today still cannot solve!! The A-10 is so unique and a valuable piece of aviation many of us salute the Air Force for keeping it around!!
Infantrymen & women should all have a A-10 at their six. American families want their sons & daughters to return home! The A-10 is just extra insurance that they will. And I don't give a dammed what those desk jockey, pencil pushing, budget commandos think! They don't do the fighting, our children do!
THE HEAVY METAL FIRE POWER OF THE A-10 IN CLOSE COMBAT SUPPORT IS INSANE DUE TO UPGRADES. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS AIRCRAFT? VERY FEW HAVE EVER BEEN ACTUALLY SHOT DOWN, UNABLE TO RETURN HOME. WHEN USED AS INTENDED THEY ARE ALMOST UNSTOPPABLE.👍👍👍👍👍
Another wonderful thing about the a-10 is flying around Tucson Arizona you don't see them till it's too late they're very quiet as they sneak up on you great great airplane.
The A-10 is such a great ground support aircraft. I never understood why they were not keeping the aircraft in service. Good to see that they came to there senses.
As an Army Veteran of 38 years and 4 wars, I can honestly say that the Air Force lost its freaking mind when they wanted to kill the A-10 program. This aircraft is the perfect CAS aircraft produced. Low and slow is what the combat infantryman needs, not a zoomie who is afraid to scratch the paint on their half billion dollar aircraft. When you need to get our of a jam, when Artry and Mortar can't help, you can call on the hog and he will rut some stuff up with that chain gun really quick. This aircraft is a keeper.
They think a skywarden can replace the a10 :(
i would hope they only send in the boys when there is air superiority. An f-35 can take out a s-300 or s-400, so the warthog should be more safe from those threats minus manpads ofcourse, it would still make the slow and low close air support a viable option. Maybe turning them into drones, like the north koreans plan to do with all their ancient migs.
CAS is a life saver. They taught us that the hog was intended for NATO Warsaw pact operations. Then the CCCP fell and the zoomies wanted to rid the country club of their grungy, MRE eating slobs in exchange for sexy strike eagles. As a pilot, nothing teaches you better than the hog. It’s a pilots airframe. And it commands respect. I am glad to see the hog live on even though I prefer the six pack.
Respecting your experience, times have changed. The war in Ukraine has exposed a lot of threats to slow-flying aircraft. The A-10 is useful when you can gain air superiority. Unfortunately, today's saturation of the battlefield with manpads and short-range air defenses does not allow to guarantee the safety of the A-10. New strategies and tactics can help. Keeping behind the front lines, using as weapons carriers and occasionally participating in combat. This is quite good news for the A-10. The USAF is beginning to understand that overwhelming superiority in quality (expensive) equipment may not be enough. There must be a lot of cheaper ones. Especially in wars of attrition, like in Ukraine.
@@devmeistersuperprecision4155 The "six-pack"? I have not heard this reference. Please elucidate.
I served in the Marine Corps during the 1st Gulf War era. Our artillery battalion had the privilege to train in a joint exercise with the A-10 Warthogs. I remember being struck by the awesome presence of that aircraft as it flew low towards our position. I could imagine how that aircraft would put the fear of God into the hearts of our enemies. I am so glad that someone in the higher ranks had the good sense to keep the Warthog in active service.
@gerstmanndavid The USAF does not want the aircraft. It is the Congress going to bat for it.
Semper Fi
Hands down, an awesome video. Worked on the A-10 back in the late 80's and 90's when I was a crew chief in the USAF. I worked on several different fighters during my career and the Warthog was definitely the best to maintain. Never had any issues and kept coming back for more. It would be a dang shame if the military put this baby to rest. For the record, IMO, I am not impressed with the F-35 and truly believe the government is throwing good money away on this bird. Plus, it has a lot of Maintenace issues so ...... Sorry if I pissed anyone off but being a maintainer for 23 + years, I took pride on the planes I worked on.
It sounds to me like the F-35 is a downgrade. It may be newer but it seems to have less ability to fight. They should have spent the money on just upgrading what already worked so well. New avionics, maybe better and more accurate weapons. I've seen pictures of A-10s that were shot full of holes and they flew them all the way from the combat zone back to the base and landed just fine. Most modern planes would have crashed. Maybe even exploding killing crew with it.
@@noneyabus1 Yeah, but an enemy that has a lot of high speed drones would be death for the A10. Not every weapons platform will work in a given theater.
@@noneyabus1 jsf program was flawed from the start. Attaching the vtol requirement to the contract was a mistake. We made fun of the russians for trying a similar idea to the lift fan and even the russian designers knew it was a terrible use of space and would only neuter the design.
I think they realized this when they started slapping all sorts of new tech onto the plane while getting outside sources of income through sales to fund the development. They already have replacements for it that have been announced and are probly flying
Mike, thanks for your post, and for your service!
@@Quakeboy02 They'd have to be pretty fast drones. The A-10 does 420 mph. Most combat drones like the shahed only do like 100-150 mph
The amount of armament on this airplane is astounding. New avionics should make it even better. Long live the A10.
@outfield1988 The older ones could carry 16,000 pound load, plus its cannon, the B-29 was five crew and 20,000 pounds plus its guns. The Enola Gay and Bockscar were modified to carry more.
@@Colorado_Native Well, they just modified them by removing the guns, right? Nobody chased after Enola Gay, but they sent a squad of zeros after Bockscar. That's why they ended up bombing Nagasaki instead of Kokura.
@ericzimmerman9599 my third time posting something that doesn't seem that controversial. Go to national ww 2 museum and then tod gro ( backwards). There's more to what they did there.
The b52 is even older and is still revelant
@ For sure
I served Infantry and saw these in action, definitely makes you glad they are on your side, same with the C130 "Spooky".
Some idiot in the Air Force will try to get rid of the C-130 when they should keep that going for years and years.
I bet the Marines can find a use for it for the next 20-50 years. They still have harriers and use them to amazing effect. Simple, deadly, and rugged.
The name harrier sounds so mean and bad ass for a plane
David Levite, (AKA David Cameron the UK Prime Minister), hated the Harriers so much he wanted them scrapped but eventually they were sold for a pittance to the USA, who love them. When the UK got the new Aircraft Carrier there were no fixed wing aircraft to fly onto the Carriers but if the UK Harriers had been kept then they could have been used on the Aircraft Carriers.
The British Government was so wrong to sell the Harrier to the US, claiming we no longer needed it. Come on! The fast jet-on-jet scenario is pretty much movie fodder; CAS is just one of the great roles this jet provides along with the hog. A2A combat capabilities of the Harrier were proven during the Falklands campaign (thanks for the fuel USAF! ;-) ). Of course, this was the 80's so it was more pilot skill and a competent airframe that won the duel rather than fire and forget we see today. No disrespect meant to any aviators at all. Your glasses are lovely.
@@dark12ainand a beauty to look at.
I think that the A10 is going to be needed a lot longer than our military leaders realize!
Maybe even on our own soil.
@@ssaepa1 That is sad, but the way this country is heading may come true. I keep waiting for them to invite China to take us over. But it will happen over my dead body
Certainly longer than our military leaders...
@@sociopathicnarcissist8810 Negative numbers.
The military knows, the buffoons on capital pill are a different matter.
I am an Air Force vet aircraft engineer. I have ALWAYS respected the A-10 for the way she was built. Parts are interchangable side to side. so in battle a right wing can be fitted on the left by simply changing a few parts over the same with the horizontal stabiliser and tail fins. I also fly myself and after sitting in the cockpit you sit much higher therefore getting a superb view of the ground. In say an F18 you sit deeper inside the cockpit. In the UK the GAU-8/A is known as the 'Vulcan gun' easy to see why!" I have been lucky enough to watch the A-10's range firing and those shells going through a tank is quite something! This is the only aircraft that really TERRIFIES enemy tanks..... if they sea one of these.................they are gonna buy the farm! So pleased they have re-lifed the old Hogs!👍
@@scopex2749 The Hellfire terrifies tanks. The gun was barely useful against tanks that were already obsolete when it came out. The test reports are public. How many tanks did you see them go through exactly and how many rounds did it take under perfect conditions to achieve that?
@@davidgill3356uh hello, you obviously DONT KNOW? AGM65E MAVERICCK WITH IIR WAS THE A10 PRIMARY WEAPON. EVER HEARD OF DESERT STORM! DUH
@@HENRISTARKS Yeah Maverick, so why the A-10? Good use of caps though lol. Since you’re such a historical scholar why don’t you fill us all in on what aircraft is responsible for the most friendly fire deaths? Desert storm was over 30 years ago too btw.
@@HENRISTARKS Also, didn’t say a word about Maverick, maybe work on your basic literacy before you try to look sharp…duh. Pathetic.
@@davidgill3356,
Let me guess...
You are a true millennial, born long after the Could War ended and raised in the current time of technology.....
The A-10 was specifically designed and built to compensate and overwin the large amount of Sovjet tanks and armoured vehicles in the European "Battlefield".
Although West European had the Leopard I main battle tank, the US did not yet have the M1-Abrams.
Due to the inferior quality but the extending quantity of Sovjet tanks this airplane was the equivalent of 10 to 20 Sovjet tanks....
The European scenario was based on a defending role instead of offensive.....
European/ NATO Airforce were superior in intercepting and shot range bombing to defeat the invaders....
This airplane, the legendary A-10 was the real game changer in convincing the Sovjets to think twice before trying to overrule Western Europe....💪💪💪
Several A-10s made a stop over at my base in Germany. This happened in 1977 and here 47 years later they are a vital part of the US Air Force mission. Amazing
Sembach AB. I was there with them then.
I worded on B52s in the seventies. Same story. If it works, improve it and make it work even better. Of course 52s no long have rear guns like the A-10.
I agree. The A-10 has proven itself to be around longer than a decade. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. Ground troops have said time and time again how the A-10 has come to their rescue whether to annihilate their enemy or buy enough time for the units to get out of a dire situation. The Air Force made the right decision to postpone the cancellation of the program by augmenting some of the shortcomings of the aircraft to increase its survivability in the theater of war. As long as the enemy will continue to use ground weapons and troops, I still see a crucial need for the Warthog's service.
The air force wanted to kill it. In a stunning show of common sense it was Congress that forced the AF to keep it.
If the ground weapons include any form of modern AA, the A-10 is toast. It's only modern use is a suppressing fire counter-insurgency role. It will be useless against a near-peer.
@christian-hl6uz It works great when you have total air superiority. Not so well against fighters or missiles. Or Manpads carried by troops on the ground. It is not designed to shoot down drones individually or in swarms.
In the early 90’s I worked at Ft. Irwin Army base as a civilian employee. I ran the base water system. The wells were remote. I had to check on them daily. I could always tell when the A10’s were in the air. When they come at you the sound they make is very distinctive. And going away, the same. NOTHING else has that sound, AND they can fly very close to the ground. So much so, that when they came up the mountains and foothills they appeared as if they had magnets forcing them up and holding them off of the ground. I’m glad the Air Force is up grading and keeping them. The A10 is an AWESOME aircraft.
The A-10 is too valuable to drop. It's a fine fighting machine
Its worthless in the age of drones and MANPAD systems.
...great...as long as the air space isn't contested. Otherwise...a slow sitting duck for advanced air defense systems.
@@steveburke7675 Exactly. First clear the airspace with the expensive stealth assets and then send in the A-10 once we own the sky.
@@protorhinocerator142 even in situations like these, other aircraft have outperformed the A-10. During the gulf war for example, the F-111 was far more effective and even scored more tank kills.
@@TJshine1 drones don’t have the capability with the A-10 can do. The electronics and the A-10 are far more superior. People nowadays have a Neanderthal and a schoolhouse rock mentality when it comes to the A-10 and have no understanding what the jet was made for or what role it plays 🤦♂️
We will need this platform for the fight against black rock and vanguard
😂
o/
Damn Skippy!
Like it or not, Blackrock and Vanguard will keep the U.S. from total economic collapse…be glad they are U.S. companies.
Thank goodness because we need the A-10 more than ever!
You will need them in America just now if the illegals carry on coming 😂😂👍
They are not new
@@kbellanger4140 ok
Why? It will be useless against Russia or China or even Iran. It's only good at suppressing insurgents without AA capabilities.
She’s still a Valkyrie, a guardian Angel that you know is always watching over you and saves your life when you see this avenging Angel swoop in and you hear the distinctive sound of its gun going “BBRRRRRRRRRT”
Every Marine, every US soldier would love to look up and see one of these! The «Ugly Angel»!
Close air support? They weren’t allowed to land without grass stains on their belly😊,
Wanna know the true value of an A-10..? Ask ANY combat veteran that had to call on them for close air support and/or to get them out of being pinned down in a firefight.
I'd like to see 5 senators or 5 congressmen take a ruck with a combat unit in enemy territory... AND THEN ask them if we need to keep the A-10.
I don't disagree, but would the A-10 add as much value in Ukraine as it did in Iraq? My gut feeling is no. OTOH, I think the FPV drones that are so effective in Ukraine would have been a complete failure in Iraq.
@@Quakeboy02 We need ALL the tools, to make the fight as unfair as possible.
@@Quakeboy02 Well yeah, Russia has AA which would destroy the A-10, and Al Queda didn't have armored vehicles, making drones kind of useless.
I saw an article with an interview from a general that said modern aircraft do a better job dropping bombs from 30,000 feet, but the soldiers on the ground don't get to see it happen so they don't like it as much.
Truth is the A-10 has very low odds of survival on a modern battlefield against a near-peer adversary with real AA, and plenty of other options (drones, Apaches, modern fighters with stealth capabilities) can do anything the A-10 can do.
@@zacharyjacobs7233Forget armored vehicles what about grunts that need low and close support when they have no Artie or mortar support.
The A-10 has been a favorite of mine for decades. 👍
I am in the USAF and I was staffing an air show and I was at the A-10 booth just to check it out and the guy at the booth whispered in my ear, "Hey we are building it new and better".
We should have a few of those in Australia Rick Krieg. Western Australia
There is a simple reason the A-10 is still around: it just kicks butt! The higher-higher doinkers NEVER envisioned how good this platform would be in Afghanistan and Iraq. Every grunt trying to get smaller and deeper in the dirt under fire absolutely LOVED hearing the Warthog arrive, and then that 30 mike-mike BBBRRRRRRRRRRRPP! Yeah! INF would literally yell and cheer at that. The point is, just like the military "brain trust" didn't know how valuable the A-10 would be in the sand box, they have no idea how important it might be in the next war. Who would have foreseen FPV drones, sea baby drones, and thermite drones in Ukraine? Nobody.
If the US was to put the A 10 for sale they would be sold out in an hour. This is a GREAT AIRCRAFT
@@jacquesthompson2946 and that would be a mistake, A VERY BIG MISTAKE!
I want this HOG, absolutely love the maneuverability of this bird.
And yet the Ukrainians wouldn’t take them for free.
I'd trade my 04' Ranger in for sure 😂
by who? not any modern airforce.
In military thinking, a jack-of-all-trades aircraft is madness. You need specialist aircraft for special missions!
They come up with those so-called “multirole” aircraft because it’s easy to stretch out the development and costs and therefore both the manufacturers and the politicians (whether said politicians wear a uniform or not, modern generals and other high-ranking officers are nothing more than politicians at the end of the day) get plenty of pork and cash all around. They don’t care about effectiveness, they care about profits and greed.
Anyone that supported getting rid of this should be ashamed of themselves. It’s a marvelous and essential platform
Fighters do the job better
It's outdated and it's job can be done as well or better by other options.
It is 2024 not 1980 any more.
@@babyseals4872 Get your mom to explain essential to you, this is the exact opposite of essential. Apparently the most marvelous thing about it is how fanboys think that using one in a video game makes them experts.
@ wow…that was quite a reply. I gotta say I’m surprised how passionate the people are that don’t like this platform. I honestly thought us “fanboys” were the enthusiastic side. Live and learn I guess.
My 1st permanent duty station was Myrtle Beach AFB. That’s where I met and fell in love with the A-10. I was in the ECM and enjoyed running up the APU to test the equipment. Although the base isn’t there any longer and I have out for 38 years, the aircraft continues to be my favorite.
One of the most lovely aircraft made for combat ever assembled!!! Love the A10 and can't wait to see the new varient serve hellfire!!!
Had a pilot of A-10 from the Fort Polk area that would aim his aircraft straight up and punch it for a short climb. Never forget how powerful this made it feel. He would do this while I working in my garden. I remember thinking if he stalled out, that wouldn’t be good for either one of us.
I'm a Desert Storm Veteran and crewed the A-10s for 6 years it is a awesome airframe for close air support for guys on the ground I seen the damage the A-10s can take and bring the pilot back I personally think that the higher ups don't want this aircraft to survive because of nothing can do the job this aircraft has proven it can do the up grades that they are planning is long over due but I personally don't think they want a bad ass aircraft out there to kick ass.
Randy,maybe I’m wrong but In think they only want air to air combat not air to ground support.
My favorite joke I've heard about the A-10 was a Army crewman debating the merits of the A-10 with a Navy pilot that flew a F-18. After going back and forth of what each aircraft could and couldn't do, the Navy pilot finally asked a serious question: "So what do y'all carry on those two hardpoints on the wings?" Without missing a beat, a sergeant listening to the argument piped up and said, "A pair of F-18s."
Since it's inception. Has always been a very capable Asset. 💪🏼❤️🙏🏼
As a usaf vet the a10 and the ac130 are the best combet aircraft for our troops on the ground in a hot spot milton
The AC-130 is for when you really really want them gone.
If you ever see the movie The Green Berets with John Wayne, you'll see the predecessor to the AC-130. When they called for "Puff the Magic Dragon" they beat a hasty retreat from ground zero. That thing cuts down trees. No survival within the target zone.
The new upgraded AC-130's now have heavy anti-tank rounds as well.
Could you imagine going to a lost tribe and be like i am god. And you point at a mountain and an ac-130 just shoots the mountain lol
But would they be as effective as the drones are in Ukraine? My guess is no.
I agree, a 27 year Veteran with 3 combat theaters, THE most satisfying experience is calling CAS and hearing the A10 coming to the rescue with formidable combat capabilities has saved me and uncountable troops on the ground. A sad day indeed for all if this amazing weapons system is no longer available.
I was in Desert Storm, and the A-10 saved my ass so I could return to my family. With the capabilities of the Warthog, it will be around a long time. The only way I see it going away is if some palms get greased in the Airforce to buy something less effective.
Thanks for your service Alton.
The US cavalry saved a bunch of people too. So we should never got rid of horse soldiers for them new fangled tanks.
I served with Task Force 43rd at KKMC during desert shield and throughout Desert Storm. We improved the airfield and aprons and turned bumpy desert dirt roads there into smooth asphalt. I was surveying the layout for construction of a ramp which F-16s would use when moving from hanger to runway about mid length down the runway basically a center court seat.. . Wheni witnessed multiple fire trucks moving in response to a threat yet to be revealed, when suddenly I see an A-10 coming in for a landing...it was obvious that it had been in one hell of a fight and just as obvious that the aircrafts chin and the pilot's nerve were both "made of steel"...... It would have been a smooth picture perfect landing like hundreds of others..except there was only one leg down on the landing gear.... I could the pilot.. only able to watch in horror as the A-10 touched the runway the almost immediately rolled to it's left of the runway into a huge cloud of dust as if consumed by the desert . I Then I watched in a state of quiet shock as a multitude of firetrucks rushed after the fallen hero who just collapsed after winning the Boston Marathon... It reminds me to this day to remain resilient through the worst adversity...and although strong... although mighty we all are vulnerable and every "metal" has it's tensile strength! That type of weapon and the training which produces pilots of that caliber is like a vital organ which must exist in the body of our military. God Bless all our pilots
The A-10 Is Infantry Guardian Angel.
0311 Marine Rifleman 1st Bn, 8th Marines, 2nd Mar Div Desert Shield/Desert Shield 90-91
As long as we have ground troops, tanks, and other millitary vehicles on the ground that might need to get out of a bad situation quickly, the A-10 is the only aircraft that can open up that exit path! I know from experience that the stress level drops dramatically when these guys are above you communicating!! The enemy does not want to stay around once they hear the "HOG"!!
This GRUNT is not only Airborne. He can FLY.
As a Infantry, I like the A-10, it reminds me of the Cobra and other gunships we had in Vietnam. Quick ground support and destructive. We used them a lot, and they did the job. The A-10 is the realistic replacement for close air support. I still like the helicopter, just my preference, nothing takes away the A-10.
It will only have use against goatherders. Against any other army with decent air defense systems will be useless.
to think we almost didn't have the a10, but the branches pissing matches caused it.
We used to have the OV-10. The A-10 was an improvement. To bad the Marine Corps didn't buy them.
@TexanUSMC8089 too
Belt AND suspenders. If one capable platform is good, then two is better. Three is better still. How you mix and move 'em keeps the enemy guessing......... which gawd-awful murder machine is going to ravage me today? Or will they send them all? I like the idea of folding in maybe three helos in the package...... one medivac, since there is more of a risk of a shoot down in a CAS mission and you know pretty much the rather limited area in which it would occur. Two attack helicopterss. I think of it like this. The main strike package is "brushing your teeth"..... the helicopters are the toothpick. Getting at the stubborn left over bits.
The A-10 is one of the best aircraft for protecting our troops on the ground!!!
Here in Indiana, seeing these guys on a regular basis for as long as I can remember. Im 62 yrs old. They flew into and out of Kokomo. My first memory was seeing them fly overhead in groups of 3 near Anderson, and thought “that’s a special plane” little did I know how special it is.
keep that plane. it works and does not cost that much to fly.
With all this new equipment it's getting further and further form that selling point.
Ohh my favorite baby in the sky. Nice to know they are keeping her up.
WOW! The reason I like this aircraft is that it is a ground support aircraft with an aray of lethal weapons! As a combat engineer in Vietnam, there were situations when I believe that its type of support would have saved lives!😢
Y'all had the A-37B though right ?? Not quite the same,but better than nothing.
And Skyraiders.
I don't believe the warthog should be sidelined yet or in 2030. It has proven it's worth over and over!
Not enough kick backs on this cost effective plane; our military at the top is MONEY driven!
And over again Everytime they doubted the A-10 it proved it's worth ever since they got them they've been trying to get rid of em it don't make sense sometimes they need to think about the guys on the ground instead of money
Against insurgents without AA. Against a real enemy, it will get shot down in an instant.
My favorite plane in the USAF. It is tough, it is reliable, it packs a serious punch to the face of our enemies, and the army and marines on the ground who have called on it for support, absolutely love it! Need I say more?
The A-10 will be the close air support and stay that way akin to the B-52 is the "Gold Standard" to bombers world wide. OH & both platforms may be old, but they can still do their jobs & they are fully paid for. Look at all the fighters & bombers the USAF used new off the board that have been fully removed from the U.S. Arsenal........
I am a huge fan of the WARTHOG!Ariba!
The best part of this channel is it doesn’t have a bunch of hits leaving simple one sentence comments to engage the algorithm, I also liked the completely not photoshopped thumbnail and nonsensical video title. Bravo.
This thing is the aeroplane equivalent of a shark.
So good at what it does, it hardly needs to change, and nothing can really replace it.
As a USAF crew chief on F-16's, I still love the A-10's for their CAS role. Where my airframe is still the undefeated king in dog fights, the A-10 is still undefeated in CAS. The F-35 is great at stealth, but getting in unseen is only useful in combat if you can do something, or enough of something to be affective, when you get there. I get how defensive systems have progressed, but that sounds like an engineering problem for upgrading the defenses of our great aircraft, not "Lets spend way too much on new stuff that doesn't get the job done!"
The most reliable plane that infantry needs to support them all the time. I am so glad it's going to be around for another decade.👍
The F-35 is in no way a replacement for the A-10. 181 rounds? 2 missiles?
The only replacement for an A-10 is more A_10's! I'm sure that the army would take 'em if the Air Force doesn't want them.
Keep upgrading the Hog, and integrate the drone packages, it will be a lethal force to reckon with...
Long live the Hog !!;
the A10 is one of those very rare types of planes that can defeat an enemy just by turning up. It doesn't even need to fire a shot as it looks intimidating. I am thrilled to hear that it is getting the respect that it has earned and deserves. Now I just have to find out where I can go to see them in the USA. Anyone know where I can park and watch these beauties ?
I cannot imagine a combat situation on the ground where the A10 has to sit it out. What a legendary platform. Warts and all
A-10 is like the Y-wing of the Star Wars Universe. Always reliable and get the job done.
You didn't talk about the fact that it can actually dogfight and beat Vipers and even Eagles. Truly, a one of a kind airframe!
I love the A-10C, but that is comically incorrect. Not in a million years. Those long, straight wings give it excellent slow speed maneuverability and a low stall speed, but those are about the only possible advantages in a dogfight. In all other ways it would be totally outclassed by the Viper or Eagle.
The A-10 Warthog will help our nation if we have to fight battles in Asia 🌏 and the Pacific. They are perfect for combat runs in dense jungle atmospheres. The toughness and durability helps in fighting in jungle mountain regions. Combat air support is needed for infantry fighting success in those kind of conditions. Not every mission can be done by a helicopter 🚁. As a kid during Vietnam, I would discuss in conversation with decorated jungle war Veterans about the necessity of tough slower low flying planes as being critical to mission success. These new A-10's should help out if anything were to happen in Asia 🌏. I just love these legendary planes, they've kicked a$$ and saved lives in the arena. Great video 📸. Thanks.
“So, what do you think?”
“Does it come in black?”
Saw the A-10 in the skies most of my life. Awesome plane
Keep this weapon!! It has brought fear to all bad guys it has faced while saving so many of the good guys.
A-10 one of my favorite planes, i used to see them a lot when i was living in Germany my father was working at Ramstein Airbase and he used to bring me on all other US bases at their "open doors" event and i was always to go in the A-10 with his so particular nice look. 💓
Life saving air craft. Long live the A10.
Love the A-10! Such an iconic and robust fighter jet!
The newer F-35 aircraft have never been battlefield tested, but if you judge a planes usefullness by the people who fly them, and those on the ground who have depended on them, it's not hard to come to the conclussion we better keep the Warthog around just in case.
Simply amazing! This aircraft is the GOAT 🐐 of CAS & just pure death dealing! I’m so happy to see this video! Thank you 🙏🏻
Love the A-10!
A10 when I was in the army was called tank killer , I lived by beal after it would fly over it looked like 25mph slow , by time I heard it it would of been to late, in the the field you don't alway como, so I could see a huge bonus, by time you knew it you would be dead, what a bad ass plane the best for alot of uses
The airforce should give this beast to the Marines they would definitely put this plane to use
Congress control what the AF can buy and retire.
I don't care what anyone says. I like the way the A-10 looks. This is an aircraft made for combat.
I am a soldier who fought in Vietnam, so I know how important the A-10 is in a fierce battle. It is crazy to eliminate it.
The A-10 was deployed in Vietnam? Amazing.
@@davidgill3356 I'm saying that when I was in the Vietnam War, a fierce battlefield, the value of these planes was very important. That was the experience that if we had the A-10 Warthog, our teammates would not have suffered heavy losses. They realized their mistakes in the Vietnam War, so the A-10 Warthog was born later.
@@crazymilitaryaircraft-q9e Fair enough.
In Nam, you had the Dragon fly which was effective, or so I have been told
@@stevekilby8106 why do you know this
Years ago I worked near the Manchester NH airport. On several occasions I got to see two A10s in mock dogfights literally just overhead. What an awesome site.
The Douglas Sky Raider was amazing.
F-35 and f-22 are more advance but the problem with the 2 aircraft there is always a fear of being captured and copied by the enemy. So even if they have more capabilities, they cannot be use in too risky situation. The old A-10nand other older aircrafts are more useful in the battle.
We need a Warthog forever. Tanks and Armot don't stand a chance against the Gau8 cannon. 13:01
I remember seeing one land with what looked like 75% of the skin gone. It was an IFE but landed with no issue. Hear it’s in the Air Museum now. Awesome Bird
A10, nothing comes close, it’s the best close combat plane in the sky today, F 35’s are already antiquated, let’s look at another great machine, the F22 Raptor now your talking, 35’s were someone’s pipe dream.
You're
Ridiculous uninformed drivel.
Raptors will do air superiority and close air support as the "brains" operating a small fleet of unmanned fighter/bombers.
This is absolute lunacy thinking the f35 is already antiquated.
@@TomDaniels-gh5ix The Dunning-Krugers - always good for a laugh.... 😂
Perfect. The USAF wants to use unmanned aircraft for close air support to protect their vaunted pilots, regardless of how many troops on the ground fall victim to 'friendly fire'.
The USAF has always had the slogan of 'Not a Pound for Air to Ground'.
I grew up in Maryland. I remember as a child in the 70s that when we would go to the drive-in or to the state park you have to drive at the Maryland Air national guard. Just about my entire life up until the first Gulf war there planes were kept closer to the road where you could see them. Sometimes on the weekend you would actually get to see them take off and land. This is long before the internet so we did not even know what the plane was called.
All of that changed during the first Gulf war. We did notice there were a lot less of them there prior to the war. It wasn't because the planes were shot down it was for the fact that it went out to more Air Force bases.
It's been at least 30 years since I have gone past there so I'm not even sure if they have them there any longer and if they do are they kept someplace else.
I know for one reason that they were there because of Aberdeen proving grounds. That's where they test a lot of different things and they have a lot of secret programs that go on right there. They're close to the manufacturers of some of the equipment.
Also where the Air national guard base is once they are in the air they are over the Chesapeake Bay within minutes. Then they can head south to Pax River naval station. There too they do a lot of testing and modifying. When Great Britain ordered their 35 for their new carrier. They were out of the Chesapeake Bay and out to see on the Atlantic side. And the Americans were teaching the British how to use aircraft and how to make carrier landings.
The sad thing is that people in this state don't even recognize how important we are for the military. Let's not forget intelligence also. We have the NSA right next to Fort Meade. God only knows what they are doing in that part of the state.
We need to build more of these only with newer computers and upgraded weapons!
Such beautiful plane! If you've ever been up close to one. . . You've been impressed. And that noise!
A great upgrade. Made me feel good.
It’s great. Wonderful asset for the infantry.
The Hog is an outstanding bird. Making it better is a sensible move. Just get the bad players out of the way for it to use it's unique qualities.
The hog was intended for low altitude slow CAS. It has excelled. It’s a flying tractor. But the new avionics and weapon selection now allow it to cheaply meet the advance role at mid altitude. This is insane!!!! Now we can monitor multiple threats, a new generation of smart weapons, over 10K pounds worth, and cover a portion of the drone threats. Then mop up with Low alt CAS. We can stack multiple hogs with long loiter times configured slightly differently but networked together. Hell yes. And they are cheap!
Truth be said…. Right now Russia can’t find enough warm bodies for Ukraine. Russia is experiencing a severe cash flow problem. The people are very worried and unhappy. Moscow lost a huge amount of electrical power with a single drone attack. People were fleeing like scared puppy dogs.
This is similar when CCCP fell. Food will become a greater concern.
The sandbox is and won’t go away. Israel owns air superiority.
So it’s a wet dream by many in the Air Force to retire the hog. It ain’t going anywhere! Its role is defined and now expanded. We could use an extra 150 to 200 of these aircraft in C versions or better.
Close air support , nothing beats the A10
Drones do.
@@kurtwicklund8901 I disagree "respectfully" traditional push forward.
On the last few nights before the ground offensive kicked off for Desert Storm we watched the A-10s rain hell on the Iraqi front lines. Well, we watched tracers, missile fire and explosions. Lots of explosions. Big respect for the guys that were flying them. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a couple of them.
ты уважаешь военных которые массово казнят мирных жителей?!
The A10, ahhh, she be a pretty gunship ❤
Very Impressive!
Thing is a flying tank.
One of my all time favorite aircraft.
All the stories of the wings being blown off and pilots making it home just blow my mind.
It was designed to survive with just half a wing, 1 engine, most of the tail fins gone, and no landing gear.
When they say the aircraft has been “relegated” for CAS only is almost an insult. This monster has bailed out many troops who were pinned down.
This magical plane saves thousands of USA army life should never be discontinued
John McCain fought to keep the A-10 in service until there was a suitable replacement. He knew the important of the air support this provides.
There's an A10 base in his state.
@@MichaelZeagler and he was a POW. Both can be motivating factors.
"please don't insult my intelligence"
ua-cam.com/video/_up7IHd3LDs/v-deo.htmlm35s
There are many aircraft in history that have won wars, the P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, F-86 Sabre, F-4 Phantom. But, the brilliant aviation minds of Fairchild Republic were on to something historic in developing the A-10, which so many today still cannot solve!! The A-10 is so unique and a valuable piece of aviation many of us salute the Air Force for keeping it around!!
It's a great fighter, well armed , excellent pilot protection and a positive asset to ground troops.
Except that - it's quite obviously not a fighter.
Try again.
@@Tinker1950 They call it "the warthog stomp" when that 30 mm cannon shreds a plane.
@@paullangford8179 What conceivable connection has that to do with my earlier comment?
@@Tinker1950an A -10 is not a fighter.. A= ground attack, F= fighter/ interceptor....
@@wwclay86 And why are you telling me this?
As an Army Vet, there is nothing like the sound of a Worthog burping down the valley. Our era of the Huey clopping up the valley I would think.
Nothing can match the A-10s duties.
AV-8B Harrier and F-117: Are we jokes to you?
until an s-400 pays a visit to it
With the arguable exception of the Vought F4U-4 Corsair, the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt is the sexiest military aircraft ever to take to the skies.
Infantrymen & women should all have a A-10 at their six. American families want their sons & daughters to return home! The A-10 is just extra insurance that they will. And I don't give a dammed what those desk jockey, pencil pushing, budget commandos think! They don't do the fighting, our children do!
Amen to that brother. I was infantry ,them A-10 are the best .
I feel the A10 is like a big brother watching out for you.
THE HEAVY METAL FIRE POWER OF THE A-10 IN CLOSE COMBAT SUPPORT IS INSANE DUE TO UPGRADES. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS AIRCRAFT? VERY FEW HAVE EVER BEEN ACTUALLY SHOT DOWN, UNABLE TO RETURN HOME. WHEN USED AS INTENDED THEY ARE ALMOST UNSTOPPABLE.👍👍👍👍👍
Another wonderful thing about the a-10 is flying around Tucson Arizona you don't see them till it's too late they're very quiet as they sneak up on you great great airplane.
The A10 needs to stay around to do what it was built to do
The A-10 is such a great ground support aircraft. I never understood why they were not keeping the aircraft in service. Good to see that they came to there senses.