The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat attack aircraft. A-10 is a twin-Turbofan engine with wing straight. In the jargon of the pilots, it is called Warthog.
The A-10 Thunderbolt II. The thing is simply unbeatable. It’s built around the worlds biggest rotary gun. Its pilots sit in a titanium bathtub for protection. It can take a hella beating and still loiter around the troops it’s supposed to protect. All in all, it’s the best CAS platform ever created.
Related link: A-10 Women Pilot “Killer Chick” Kim Campbell Successfully landed back a damaged A-10 Warthog
You’ll see the pilot coming in hot giving hell to whoever is in front of him. The video then cuts to the grunts on the ground saying, “A-10 saving the day again, baby.” To finish it off, the pilot throws up a shocka to tell the troops you’re good to go.
Related link: 378 Bullet Holes, No Flaps & No Speed Brakes- Still A-10 Makes It Home
It takes a lot to fly and operate this bad boy. And even if you’re just watching videos or looking at it from afar, there’s no way it will not leave you in awe. There’s sheer power written all over it that pretty much says no one should mess with it unless they want to be on the business end of the A-10.
Related link: Watch: A-10s Saved Troops In Afghanistan In This Awesome Gun Camera Footage
The idea of developing an aircraft dedicated specifically to the close air support came in 1966 to the then Chief of Staff USAF John P. McConnell, who intended to bring together the qualities shown in the Vietnam War (in progress) A-1 Skyraider with those of the A-7 Corsair II.
The plane that proves he should therefore have longer range, maneuverability at low altitude, variety of weapons and good speed, but it would have been more resistant to the blows of the flak.
In 2005, a program was started to upgrade remaining A-10A aircraft to the A-10C configuration, with modern avionics for use with precision weaponry.
