skibbyAU
52945
1111
35
A-10s doing some low level flying.
Oct 29, 2024 9:41 AM
skibbyAU
52945
1111
35
A-10s doing some low level flying.
Uranus633
Where's the BRRRRRRERRT? There was supposed to be an earth shattering BRRRRRRERRT.
BeardedWonder82
MacklinBurtMacklinFBI
brizio
Godspeed and go fuck stuff up
stewartanderson80
A Plane that's not been fit for purpose for decades and only good at killing friendlies.
Makerofroads
People don't like to think it be like it is, especially the Marines it's killed, but it unfortunately do.
Syko73
General: See that titanium bathtub over there?
Engineer: Yeah?
General: Put that big ass gun on it!
Engineer: um...ok, done.
General: Now make it fly!
MykillMetal
More like, "See that giant fuck-you gun?"
"Yeah"
"Build a plane around it."
"Say less."
NorrinxRadd
Years ago a friend said "no wonder you like the A-10 so much, your favourite car is the F40"
Hes right. They're both perfect.
Efreeti
Where's the BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!
Pikkupanda
OMG I was going to make that exact comment.
demosteness
Let´s bomb some hospitals!
SpaceHaggis
MagnumRadhard
"Hey, cool gun. What if we strapped wings on it?"
Khoshteep
A machine gun with wings!
whitey211
Might I favor good sir with a "BRRRT"?
MykillMetal
"I shoot explosive redbull cans at 4000 rounds per minute" - Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
JustSomePersonThere
lol no warplane is responsible for more friendly fire incidents than the A10.
LordHosk
Did you know those things sing like Angles when they fly over you?
I have a very clear and distinct memory, our MRAP had been overturned by an IED, and we were taking heavy fire from the treeline, and then... Angels sang to me...
and then it was quiet and peaceful.
zeacorzeppelin10
Absolutely beautiful. They bring the BRRRRRRT!
52637T9
Brrrrrrrrrrtiful
Ionico
CgnCalling
This video is missing the brrrt!
Hashbrown123
This was taken on Cannon Mt. NH a few weeks ago. https://imgur.com/RodFrRI.jpg
apatheticantisocialite
almost close enough to touch the landing gear as it goes by
CrestoftheStars
How loud was it?
Hashbrown123
Not my pic. But I have heard them around before and they get pretty loud.
LeftRightThere
skibbyAU
They did the M61 dirty here.
MykillMetal
Chain-gun sounds? I almost wept...
jesusisherelookbusy
Someone helped to rectify that error https://youtu.be/RYE5ENctJLE?si=AsQ6fQdWo_dSjec4
BiggWillzz
WarlordPipsqueak
A terrible plane, incredibly antiquated, that caused more friendly fire incidents than any other vehicle in US military history. But it sounds cool.
FreshwaterViking
Was it the plane's fault, the pilot's fault, or the JTAC's fault?
somnif
Due to nonsense behind the scene the plane had near zero avionics. Pilots had to use binoculars and guess work to ID targets.
somnif
Plus its gun has a WILD spread, anything withing like, a kilometer of what they aiming at is liable to take rounds.
drduffer
An absolutely great military airplane. Purpose built with a vision and it worked like a charm.
Once stood on top of an 80 ft high Southern Lake Michigan bluff when my neighbor, a Michigan ANG A-10 pilot flew by.
BELOW ME!
Seanspeed
Is this a joke? The A-10 was a colossal waste of money. People get upset about F-35's costs, but the F-35 is actually a seriously formidable 5th gen platform and along with its scale of production, one that's propelled basically the entire NATO apparatus into an unrivalled air superiority beast. The A-10 has nothing going for it outside of being cool. We genuinely should have never greenlit its production or at least retired it years ago.
stewartanderson80
What are you talking about? It's an utter failure of a plane it can't kill tanks, it can't fly in areas they don't have air superiority and it's responsible for blue on blue kills than any other aircraft. It wasn't fit for purpose when it was new and should have be retired decades ago.
Maviyakuku
Where do they stow all the kerosene?
SeRaQt
Here's an edited scene from "SEAL Team" S2E19 showing an A-10 providing air support (sound on):
AdorkableFembi
This show often does well with its clearly limited budget. Writing was a bit all over the place but got better.
cbale2000
What an incredible waste of ordinance. At lease use rocket pods to make it believable instead of burning a half dozen AGM-65s on direct-attack against soft targets.
pullingsixty
Are you referring to the pilot's tactics or the special effects pyro? As far as I can tell, it's all CGI, and not very good at that.
cbale2000
The CGI mostly, no actual A-10 pilot would be shooting off AGM-65s like that and it would have taken basically zero effort to have a rocket pod model/effect instead, and pretty much anyone even remotely familiar with military hardware would have been able to tell them all that.
MykillMetal
I was like, "Mavericks? During a gun-run?"
JustaSimplePlumber
Braaaaaap!
BORGALOOGIE
Oh, excuse me!
BobisBobIsHimIsMe
BUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRT
queefteef
Brrrrrrrrrrt!
whothehellelseusesTingjidasausername
Thank you for using the correct pronunciation
Yupurineutah
You hear the Braaaaap, then the Brrrrrrrt.
Yupurineutah
https://youtu.be/NvIJvPj_pjE?si=T7KsvY5CaSzAHYaP
Maxgaap
If it's firing at you, you may hear nothing. If you're too close the next sound is a constant ringing that the VA says isn't service related.
Yupurineutah
They say you never hear the brrrrt that brrrraps you.
ResearchAndDeveloper
I’ve seen posts about these kinds of jets. Are these the same as Warthogs?
seafox7
The Warthog is the old, and still colloquial, name for the A-10 Thunderbolt
ResearchAndDeveloper
Thank you! It is so cool that you know these things!
joeyecho101
An incredible gun with a plane built around it
congressionalbitch
Margrave9000
These should be donated to President Zelensk'yy. They are potential game changers, just like HIMARS artillery, Abrams, Leopard and Challenger tanks, F-16s, Patriots, thermite drones, Bradley IFVs etc.
getthismanabeer
Ukraine (in general) would not be a good theater for them to operate in as they don't have enough SEAD assets (from my limited knowledge) so the skies are highly contested on both sides (hence drones.)
Margrave9000
They could cause some major carnage on Orcs massing for another meat wave attack or on the heaps of Chinese dirt bikes, WW2 ammo dumps and tanks that pass as Ruzzian logistic & reserves.
The11thPlague
And it polluted so much land with its depleted Uranium bullets. It's not very radioactive, but did you know it catches fire and spreads everywhere? It's still Uranium, a heavy metal. It's not good.
triggrhaapi
The plane is pretty alright as well.
elhigh
Literally the case. The gun was developed first and the Warthog's fuselage designed around it.
DavidBrooker
People repeat this all the time, but it's not correct. The USAF held simultaneous competitions for the airframe and the gun which had to mate to one another. RFPs for both airframe and gun were went out in 1970, with GE and Ford competing for the gun design. The YA-9 and YA-10 prototypes were both ready to compete for the final contract before the GAU-8 was finalized and were sent up with a M61 for the purpose of selection.
DavidBrooker
What is correct, and what the myth is probably built around, is that the USAF had selected that the primary armament would be a 30mm calibre before RFPs were sent out. However, although the calibre was selected, the gun was not even at the concept stage by then. It's also worth noting that this design requirement was published four *years* into the A-X program, after feedback from prospective contractors on the original RFI process.
somnif
And like zero avionics so God only know what they're aiming at. Soooo many friendly fire incidents...
jasperin
- it actually slows the aircraft when firing!
Drix1942
If the fire is sustained long enough the airplane starts flying backwards.
MrWobblyHead
And the engine igniters trigger continuously during firing to prevent engine flame out from propellant smoke ingestion.
ThePastmaster
Wouldn't want to be anywhere near whatever target this plane decides to fire on. The splash zone must be MASSIVE.
Tythus
The design spec states 5 milliradians—about a 12m (one bus-length) radius. So, yeah, 80% land within that zone, but the remaining 20% spread further. Close is definitely dangerous!
ThePastmaster
That's assuming that the pilot is aiming correctly.
Akistos
The whole point of a weapon like this is so you don't *have* to aim.
ThePastmaster
It's supposed to be a close combat support platform so aiming is VERY important.
11Weasel11
We shared a flight line with these guys in Afghanistan. The most intimidating ground attack aircraft ever.... with the least intimidating engine sound. You couldn't hear the angry hoovers over our screaming Harriers. Suck it, Airforce. Lol. I say that with love.
gablestout
s/f
CoqRoq
I had a squadron at my base and the quiet of the A10 always blew me away. It's like a vacuum cleaner slowly gliding through the sir before it unleashes pure, unadulterated wrath onto unsuspecting victims.
11Weasel11
One day, we had a freak hail storm in Afghanistan. A pair of A-10s got stuck and couldn't land. They killed time by doing fake attack runs on the base and generally hooning about at low altitude. I still remember. They
just went, woooosshhh. That's it.
Quixus
Who needs an engine sound if you can brrrrt.
11Weasel11
I'll let you in on a secret. Harriers also go Brrrt. It's just a 25mm brrrt vs a 30mm brrrt. Our gun was designed as an after thought though. We just stick it in the bottom when needed.
Raziel420
So about the chin gun on the MV-22.....
11Weasel11
Is that the Osprey? I got out when that was just a Marine killing prototype. I never saw one. Thank god.
JustSomePersonThere
It’s an idiotic stack of shit whose only fans are children.
https://youtu.be/WWfsz5R6irs
MrAcurite
This is correct. The A-10 is responsible for more friendly fire than every other aircraft in active service combined, the upgrade package required to bring it up to "not killing our own guys" standard costs more than a new-build F-35, and testing flybys with the GAU-8 against tanks demonstrates that it's not effective as a tank killer - its main purported role.
villlllle
He says, linking a video from Lazerpig.
Trunkmonkay
Lazerpig sucks but he's not wrong. The A-10 was outdated before it entered service and despite being perfect for COIN, the most requested asset in a 20 year COIN operation in Afghanistan was the F-15E. The A-10 sucks and it has the record to prove it.
villlllle
Thanks for the info. The guy's still calling people children and linking videos from Lazerpig =D
JustSomePersonThere
Yeah, because you are a baby. At least you were until you grew up and left that Blue Falcon jet behind. Good on you for having the good sense to see that. PS lazrpig is a fucking dipshit but I posted him because his flavor of dipshittery is very appealing to precisely the kinds of children who need his message the most.
Jonesso
I mean, while Lazerpig is a bit dramatic, he is right tho, the A10 isn't really that good of a plane
villlllle
Still, I love the irony of calling fans of a feat of engineering "children" and linking a video from... Lazerpig.
StarscreamAndHutch
Archaeologistinasuit
All built by general electric, hell of a rinse and dry cycle
SarcasticComment
and 200K! and 200K! and 200K!
MechKelly
That looks expensive.
shitheadtookmyname
Lol it's like the inception soundtrack
ZiomalZParafii
This kills the target.
bitemark
So I did the math, projectile weighs 830g, propellant 160g (it doesn't eject the cartridge), it fires 3900 rounds per minute (though that's an average, it's variable), meaning every second, the plane loses 54kg (120 lbs) of weight *PER SECOND*
I wonder how much this affects flying/shooting accuracy, but I'm betting they have some kind of compensation built in.
JustSomePersonThere
Yo bet wrong. That plane was never well designed or built. It’s a shitstack.
StarscreamAndHutch
They have to go into a dive to fire, so weight & balance change probably isn’t as much of an issue to them.
ZackWester
even worse the gun have enouth force to out perform one of the aircraft 2 engines. meaning if you put the plane in neutral fired the gun and put one engine on full trust the aircraft would go backwards. I know the gun out performs one not sure if it out performed both. still pilotes are not allowed to fire the gun for more then like 3 sec because they would lost so much speed.
Tuomir
The gun produces 5 tons of recoil force, and the two engines produce 4 tons of thrust each.
bitemark
Damn I never even considered the recoil! That makes total sense though, thing's a beast
AThreeFootTallChocolateMooseWithFudgeEyes
BlatantlyThrowaway
Futschigama
The 12 inches she tells you not to worry about
CrestoftheStars
That is...BIG
Moonthatspellsmoon
I am heavy weapons guy. And THIS is my weapon.
Makerofroads
Compare that to a 105mm shell and get back. Or even a 40mm shell. Just Saiyan, there is so much better CAS planes out there.
Raziel420
I feel like the AC-130 does much better for support of specific areas, while the A-10 can come in for a quick fire support on a broader push. Can make a wall of devastation with a formation of A-10s while the AC-130 just draws the line in death. The way units maneuver right now in 2s and 3s an A-10 is going to be the most cost effective. Don't think they will stand a chance against drone warfare though.
joeyecho101
Up to 3900 a minute
getthismanabeer
Unfortunate it only flies 1,174.
Cranbananarama
...Paige? Thoughts?
PaigeYes
PineappleLoopsBrOether
Honestly that would be pretty sexy…
Chanteloup
Not the worst she's been proposed
PaigeYes
Its pretty tame in comparison
BlatantlyThrowaway
use the rounds with depleted uranium in them, for an extra special buzz?
Monkeyspearfish
I would love to see a zombie film where a gau-8 is used against a massive, undead horde.
cjandstuff
Sounds like the Battle of Yonkers.
Jonesso
I'm sure it'll somehow manage to shoot the only survives it's supposed to defend as well
JustSomePersonThere
You just wanna see people get mulched without the pesky morality.
Akistos
isn't that what *most* action/zombie movies are anyway?
JustSomePersonThere
Correct! They are wish fulfillment for the basest of wishes. They are power fantasy writ large. Morons think they cater to men, when in reality they cater to people who feel powerless and wish to lash out violently: children. Children (intellectual and chronological) are THE BIGGEST fans of those kinds of action movies.
Akistos
Well that got real judgey real quick
CmdrAdama
Armchair experts: would A-10s be useful to Ukraine forces?
RelartOfGivia
With solid air support. Which Ukraine does not have.
DiracsDelta
Close air support is powerful. Air superiority is a prerequisite.
Hannah1986
Have more of an expert - https://www.youtube.com/watchBKvUKc">https://www.youtube.com/wat">?v=WIL">BKvUKc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WILleBKvUKc . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DsWg8Dm71I . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDbUnRvb43o
oddxen
Also by funny LazerPig: Part1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWfsz5R6i">">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWfsz5R6irs , Part2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq1ac2CALeE
YeastInfectedWhiskerBiscuit
I doubt either side will have enough control over the skies to utilize cas combat planes. But I do admit it would be bad ass to see some a10's light up those treelines with Russian trenches.
nizbit
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/03/09/us-air-force-wants-to-retire-all-a-10s-by-2029/
codenameRadical
Yes, in that it would have been great for plowing through those convoy lines we saw earlier in the war. No in that they seem to have learned not to bunch up quite so much, now. Also no in that it's not very defensible, and at this point, the learning curve would be too big. And that is on top of it being fairly ancient now, and strategies have changed. The drone strategy is probably more effective than this could be.
tehguldincalk
There were maybe a couple of golden opportunities to use it, but without total air superiority, it's really just a liability.
montyman185
There was a brief moment at the start of the war when Russia had long supply trains along fairly straight highways and easily shot at positions that was basically the exact situation the A10 was built for.
That was probably the last time we'll ever see a situation where the A10 would have been better than basically any other aircraft.
Tarmaccian
It’s somewhere between “no” and “hell no”.
The A-10’s defense strategy is “just soak up bullets”. It works if you already have air superiority and your chief threat is a machine gun. Airspace is still contested in Ukraine, and Russia still has plenty of missiles that would tear the Warthog to shreds.
The gun would be reasonably useful for offense, but higher-energy aircraft can actually survive long enough to use it.
xxPaulCPxx
Frontline, no... but I'm wondering how they would do at chasing down Shaheed drones and spotter drones well behind the front lines?
Seanspeed
When we're talking 'frontlines' here, that includes well behind the actual squads fighting. Russian air defenses are pretty formidable and long range. You couldn't put an A-10 anywhere remotely near the frontlines. If you mean to protect cities and whatnot, maybe, but Ukraine is too big to realistically have local A-10 support for any potential target at any given time.
BrdCdn
Yeah the A-10 is far too slow to act as QRF to shoot down drones way in the rear.
xxPaulCPxx
Have y'all SEEN the tracking on those drones? They are crisscrossing UKR to light up air defence or circumvent existing installations. I'm pretty sure Mumen Rider on his bike is mobile enough to catch a ton of drones.
BrdCdn
I'm not saying it couldn't possibly intercept one but it's possibly the worst platform you could possibly give them to do so. It has no real provisions for effective arial targeting and is expensive to operate given what it would be doing.
Hydros
The A-10 wasn't even useful to the USA when they built it, it's supposed to be a tank killer, but the main gun can't kill tanks, any other plane would be more useful
SgtKashim
Armchair too: But... probably not? They're good at low level CAS in uncontested, not at contesting a missile-dense hellscape. Ukraine is kinda mutual air denial - look at the shootdown rates for the SU-23 and the various attack helos - A10 will be a similar boat. Neither side has control of the airspace, and neither can really use it safely... so you either hang back and lob stand-off munitions (JDAM, glide bomb, that 'dumb-rocket helo artillery' thing RUS has been doing), or you scream in /
SgtKashim
over the treetops, hopefully don't hit a SAM-bush, pitch your missiles at *get out at speed*. A-10 really isn't fast enough for that second role, and while it's solid... it's also expensive to run and the resources are better allocated elsewhere. Doesn't give UAF any significant new capability, and it costs them a bunch in terms logistics and effort. They're doing just fine killing tanks with ATGMs and mines.
SgtKashim
*SU-25, the 'frogfoot'.
6thsigma
No, it's mostly defenseless against the ubiquitous AA near the front and so slow it'd be a one way ride even if they found the armor to attack before soaking up all those missiles. Same reason attack helicopters have largely been relegated to minor support roles while seemingly being designed for it.
bearatrooper
Drones and man-portable anti-tank weapons have pretty well covered the need. The A-10 is totally sick nasty, but it's just nostalgia-bait at this point. It missed it's chance to take out columns of Soviet tanks pouring through the Fulda Gap, and these days there's a ton of way easier methods to kill armor.
SerialChickenLover
The A-10’s sole purpose was to kill Soviet tanks on an open battlefield. There are much better ways to do that, from more agile and accurate infantry weapons to drones.
ParanoidCarrot
and honestly it sucked doing that too.. so
lemmerustlethosejimmies
Even at that role it's efficacy would have been questionable. Tests of its gun found it couldn't penetrate the armor of T64s, let alone the more applicable T72s and T80s. And like others point out, it has little real defense against the SAMs lugged around everywhere by the USSR, its armor only did so much. Even during the Gulf War, I believe most kills of Iraqi tanks were actually done by F-111s with their integrated guided missiles. A cool plane that just can't hang in high threat battlefields.
SuperPickle17
tbf, you don't need to penetrate the armor.... just rattle the crew so they abandon the tank.
BrdCdn
Only works against middle Eastern conscript soldiers who hate their government.
SuperPickle17
And russians. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a46446996/ukrainian-bradleys-outmaneuver-russias-mighty-t-90m-tank/
Radix865
I mean, it's also likely they just used the hardpointed weapons instead. A lot of people seem to forget that A-10 could carry a lot of weapons in addition to its BRRRRRRRT.
ChickenSnizort
No, Drones are far cheaper. The guns on an A10 are not that accurate or powerful enough to penetrate modern tank armour. An AGM-65 Maverick Missile costs between $17,000 to $110,000.
SomeDetroitGuy
Oh, God no. The Su-25 is basically the same planet and they have been anhilated in Ukraine by both sides. The plane doesn't have a place on a modern battlefield.
rowanww822000
You are correct the a10s began retirement this year, to be finished next year
SerialChickenLover
*sad brrrrt*
oneoldman
SAMs go boom with great precision, unfortunately
hogchief
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2016/01/28/maj-gen-johnson-recalls-his-harrowing-experience-as-a-10-pilot-in-desert-storm/
BobisBobIsHimIsMe
Ehhhhhhh it does.
Just when you have air superiority.
These have saved my life more ways than I can count.
XOXO,
Retired 13F.
rowanww822000
The A10 is being retired. First airframes went to the boneyard this year, the rest to go next year
beetlenoodlepoodlebottlespaddledmuddledduddledfuddledfoxinsocks
Former assaultman (0351). Same. Cheers, brother.
Kiares
Hello fellow FO.
A retired JTAC.
BobisBobIsHimIsMe
I always felt safer with a few dragons in the sky.
BrdCdn
I mean literally any strike plane could have done the same thing. The gun sounds so cool but is objectively worse at close support than small diameter bombs or hellfires. It was obsolete almost as soon as it was introduced. Only Congress has kept it in service. Air force would have retired it 20 years ago.
ArchangelZeriel
Yeah as neat as the concept is, I can't imagine the gun being the most effective choice unless you are literally attempting to engage company sized columns of armor -- and these days, any formation that qualified would have effective integrated air defense.
It might have been the most effective plane in the world to fight one particular kind of war that never happened using 1970s technology, maybe.
BrdCdn
It was basically obsolete in the 70s anyways. Had trouble penetrating T-62s and basically useless against T-72s and T-64s.
bearatrooper
Honestly, if you have air superiority anyway, any gunship helicopter fits that role better.
VictusVonGuyver
A-10 did an amazing job and was effective, but it's always been a plane with some overlap with a helicopter. It's in the process of being phased out with nothing to replace it except for potential drones that can be launched in a warzone where you don't have to worry about pilots or gun crews being killed.
BrdCdn
Yes I love the A-10 but it's actually hot garbage.
RacecarIsRacecarBackwards
But I reckon you weren't fighting the Russians?
Dranton12
Hahahahahahahaha I’d love to see Russia get their shit totally fucked up cause we gave em a wing of A-10s.
zeacorzeppelin10
We bring the BRRRRRRT!
SerialChickenLover
If you go to billibilli, there are plenty of videos of drones dropping mortar rounds on soldiers visibly begging for their lives. It was unclear to me which side they were on, but seeing a few sobered my own bloodlust for random Russian grunts who were probably forced to be there.
BobisBobIsHimIsMe
The leaders of Russia and Ukraine have done their best to make sure their populations do not sympathize with one another.
Because if they did no wars would continue.
FlyingGiantElk
In more recent times they’re not even Russians, but foreigners lured to Russia with the promise of work, before they’re forcibly conscripted.
hyptosis
Yeah, the ukraine war videos sate any desire someone thinks they have for combat. Watching russian soldier eat their own barrels because their legs are missing and they know no help is coming from their own side. Hard to feel good at all seeing something like that.
Dranton12
Listen. I’m not saying I’m enthusiastic about some poor Russian bastard that got shoved onto the front line getting killed for Putin’s ego but I figure it’s one of those situations where the attrition rate needs to be high enough for Russians to rise up and kick his ass out so they can be human again.
AdorkableFembi
The problem is also morale. If you feel its hopeless to try and it has a cost of losing your family etc, why would you risk rising up?
We can talk about it online but most revolutions do not go well, unless the majority are onboard to the point it isnt feasible to put it down without tearing the country apart which only happens when people feel immediately threatened, not vaguely in the future that they might be, even if its likely. The pot hasnt boiled over yet.
JustSomePersonThere
That is a liberal fantasy borne out of too much Braveheart films. No amount of “Attrition” (killing disabled soldiers) will bring about this mythological “rising up” of the people back home. It’s just killing more conscripts.